MANILA — A possible term-sharing deal between Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and Sen. Loren Legarda surfaced Wednesday amid rumors of a brewing coup in the Upper Chamber.

The arrangement reportedly came up during a casual lounge chat with nine members of the majority bloc, including Sotto and Legarda. A photo posted by Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan showed Legarda seated next to Sotto, flanked by Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Senators JV Ejercito, Sherwin Gatchalian, Risa Hontiveros, and Bam Aquino. The photo was captioned with the hashtag #powersharing.

“May usapan ng term-sharing,” Ejercito told reporters, noting that the plan would be enforced “towards the end of the term.” He downplayed the discussion, calling it “lounge talk” and emphasizing it was informal.

Sotto, meanwhile, claimed the majority bloc successfully thwarted a coup attempt against his leadership. Asked if he was responsible for the foiled plot, he deflected: “It’s not me, it’s the majority.”

During Wednesday’s plenary session, which was suspended briefly from 3:51 p.m. to 5:24 p.m., Legarda took the rostrum and was addressed as “Madame President” by Majority Leader Zubiri before adjournment. Sotto shrugged off the gesture, saying: “Wala, nakatuwaan lang namin.”

Legarda described her role as simply acting presiding officer, but Zubiri teased: “She may be the future president of the Senate.” On potential term- or power-sharing, he remained coy, saying it could happen “in the near future.”

Sotto recently dismissed coup chatter, claiming he hadn’t heard complaints about his leadership. He did confirm, however, that undisclosed minority bloc members had offered the Senate presidency to Legarda—an offer she reportedly declined.

📷 Kiko Pangilinan FB