The Senate coup was swift and ruthless. On September 8, 2025, Vicente “Tito” Sotto III ousted Francis “Chiz” Escudero as Senate President with fifteen votes. For pro-Duterte senators, the ambush was stunning. They expected Escudero to hold the gavel longer, but the numbers shifted overnight. What fell was not just a leadership post—it was the balance of power in the Senate, destabilized by scandal, shifting loyalties, and an investigation that dug deeper than expected.
The Flood-Control Scandal
The scandal cut deep. The strike was triggered by the multibillion-peso flood-control scandal. Contractors Sarah and Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya testified that House members and DPWH insiders demanded a cut of flood-control contracts for themselves. But the sheer size of the budget—over ₱300 billion for flood control projects this year—made the allegations too heavy to dismiss. President Marcos Jr. scrambled to salvage trust by freezing local bidding and pledging an independent commission to investigate.
Escudero’s vulnerability reached its end with the revelation of a contractor who had donated to his campaign fund. He admitted receiving ₱30 million in campaign donations in 2022 from Centerways Construction President Lawrence Lubiano, a key contractor now under Senate scrutiny. Escudero insisted the contribution was personal and that he never intervened in projects. While campaign donations are hardly unusual, the connection reinforced suspicions of blurred lines between private financiers and public projects.
In politics, denial is no shield when perception alone is toxic. The optics were damning: the Senate’s leader linked financially to a player in the very scandal rocking the system. For a Senate President under watchful eyes, it was the wrong controversy at the wrong time. In this volatile climate, Escudero’s leadership became untenable.
Fearless but Too Relaxed
What puzzled observers was Escudero’s almost relaxed stance as he allowed the Blue Ribbon Committee, chaired by Senator Rodante Marcoleta, to run red-hot with hearings which mounted headlines. Fearless in allowing the inquiry to proceed, he seemed to underestimate the danger. For weeks, hearings became spectacle as the Senate had turned into a courtroom -- names hurled as the investigation reached deeper into the billions worth of flood-control funds, exposing a web of congressmen, DPWH officials, and contractors. The Discayas’ testimony, landing on the House leadership, was the last straw. To the shock of many, even Speaker Martin Romualdez and his circle were drawn into the frame.
It was precisely when the hearings reached this sensitive juncture that, just within hours, Escudero was toppled. The timing was no coincidence. His fall suggested a deliberate effort to cut short a process that was heading uncomfortably close to the powerful. The surprise was not only that Chiz fell, but that it happened just as the scandal’s outlines became clear. The Senate needed a stabilizer. Sotto—an old hand seen as capable of cooling tempers and shielding the chamber from implosion-- replaced Marcoleta with Sen. Panfilo Lacson, signaling that the inquiry would continue but under steadier, disciplined hands.
Who Pulled the Plug?
The question remains: who pulled the strings or orchestrated the coup? Romualdez applauded Sotto’s rise while downplaying Escudero’s defense—hardly the posture of someone blindsided. Grapevine whispers suggest House allies had a hand, eager to stop the Senate from framing the House as the epicenter of graft. Others point to Malacañang: Marcos himself, keen to project an anti-corruption posture, may have quietly favored a reset. What is certain is that Speaker Romualdez welcomed the change, while President Marcos Jr. promised accountability through an independent commission to quietly cover Malacanang. The grapevine points to Romualdez as the prime mover, but the Palace’s silent approval made the outcome inevitable. And the rest, who brokered votes behind closed doors, remains conjecture.
The Calculated Shift and the Lesson
The result was a calculated power shift. With Sotto back as Senate President, stability is projected but only because the upper chamber has closed ranks around entrenched interests. Pro-Duterte senators, who thought they had the numbers, were left scrambling, their influence checked and alliances reshuffled.
What this episode demonstrates is that scandals in the Philippines do more than damage reputations; they rearrange power itself. Escudero may have been fearless, but he was too trusting of the system’s tolerance. His fall reminds us that in politics, timing and survival often matter more than truth and accountability — and that Senate power shifts rarely happen without powerful interests pulling the strings.
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