MANILA, Philippines — As speculation grows about her possibly taking the Senate presidency, Sen. Loren Legarda took a brief turn at the rostrum on Wednesday, presiding over the chamber before adjourning the session.
Legarda called the session back from a short break and quickly banged the gavel to signal adjournment, her time as presiding officer lasting less than a minute. During the session, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri teased her by repeatedly calling her “Madam President.”
Asked later about the remark, Zubiri said, “She’s maybe the future president of the Senate. We’ll see. You know we discussed then all is well that ends well. Our group is more solid than ever.”
For now, Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III remains as Senate president. However, discussions of a term-sharing agreement between Sotto and Legarda were reportedly floated during the session break, according to Sen. JV Ejercito. Zubiri acknowledged that such an arrangement could happen in the future.
Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, meanwhile, said the term “PowerSharing” referenced in his social media post was meant jokingly. A photo shared on Meta showed Legarda sitting beside Sotto, alongside eight other members of the majority bloc.
The brief episode gave Legarda a glimpse of presiding over the Senate, highlighting her possible path toward greater leadership in the chamber.
