Sotto designated as acting Senate minority leader

Sen. Tito Sotto (screengrab from GMA News footage)

MANILA — Senator Vicente Sotto III has been officially designated as acting minority leader of the Senate.

During Monday’s session, Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano manifested that detained Senate minority leader Juan Ponce Enrile sent a letter informing the Senate that the minority senators have agreed to appoint Sotto as acting minority leader.

Cayetano said Senator Gregorio Honasan will replace Sotto as deputy minority leader.

Senate President Franklin Drilon took note of Enrile’s letter with the concurrence of the members of the minority.

Other members of the minority bloc include Senators Nancy Binay, Joseph Victor Ejercito and Jinggoy Estrada.

Like Enrile, Estrada along with Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. has been detained for plunder and graft charges in connection with the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam.

The three senators have been accused of receiving over hundred millions of kickbacks from the priority development assistance fund (PDAF) they allegedly released to the bogus non-government organizations (NGOs) of businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles.

The Sandinbayan has issued 90-day preventive suspension to the three accused senators but the Senate deferred action on the suspension after the three lawmakers expressed intention to file motion for reconsideration.

Drilon said the Senate will abide with the suspension order once it becomes final and executory.

”Once the court has resolved and disposed with the motion for reconsideration, or if no MR will be filed after 15 days, then we will implement the suspension order,” Drilon said in a media interview.

The three senators have denied their involvement in the scam that led to the abolition of the PDAF, after portions of which the Supreme Court (SC) declared unconstitutional.