FACT CHECK: Sotto not ousted as Senate president

Claim: Senate President Tito Sotto has been removed from his position after a coup within the Senate and an order from the Supreme Court.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: Several posts bearing variations of the false claim have been circulating on Facebook and YouTube. One Facebook post has 5,900 reactions and 543 shares, while several YouTube videos with the claim have upwards of 30,000 views.

The Facebook page “Duterte Active Supporters” and the YouTube channel “PINAS BALITA TV” have been making different versions of the same claim, with other accounts echoing their content.

“Nakarma na! Sotto pinatalsik na sa pwesto? Kudeta na sa Senado, di nakapagpigil [ang] korte, tinapos [si] Sotto?” the captions and the video titles say.

(He got his karma! Sotto ousted from his position? There’s been a coup d’état in the Senate, the courts couldn’t stop it. Is Sotto done?)

The photo and thumbnail included in the posts also feature a photo of Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen holding up a piece of paper in front of a crying Sotto. “Sibak sa puwesto? Matinding utos ng korte?” the text on top of the photo reads.

(Ousted from his position? A strict order from the court?)

Some versions of the claim also use a clip of Senate Majority Floor Leader Migz Zubiri addressing Senator Loren Legarda as “Madame President.”

The facts: While Sotto confirmed that there was a recent attempt to unseat him and install Legarda as the new Senate president, Sotto retains leadership of the upper chamber, as can be seen on the Senate’s official website.

Sotto credited the majority bloc for successfully thwarting the ouster attempt. Apparently, a meeting between the majority bloc and Legarda on February 4 led to the coup being averted. (READ MORE:  ​​Sotto bloc foils Senate coup but ‘power-sharing’ eyed in ‘near future’) 

While it is true that Zubiri addressed Legarda as “Madame President” as she took the Senate president’s seat during the February 4 session, the Senate had actually adjourned that day without voting for Sotto to be replaced. Legarda had only been serving as presiding officer for the session.

There is no basis to the viral posts’ claims that a Supreme Court order has removed Sotto from his position, either. There is no mention of an order for Sotto’s removal in the Supreme Court’s official website or media reports.

Ouster rumors: This is not the first time Sotto has been plagued by rumors of a coup seeking to oust him from his position. Since replacing Senator Chiz Escudero as Senate president in September 2025, the minority bloc led by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano has stated that a Senate coup is “always possible,” though he has repeatedly denied actively recruiting other senators to the cause.

Along with coup rumors, fake news about Sotto’s supposed ouster has also been repeatedly spread online. Rappler has previously debunked claims like these.

The most recent rumors were prompted after a draft of the Senate blue ribbon committee report on flood control corruption began circulating among the senators. The removal of Senator Imee Marcos as chair of the Senate foreign relations committee also led to rising tensions. Sotto has said that Marcos’ removal from the Senate panel was one of the “triggers” of the attempted leadership coup, a claim that Marcos has denied.

On February 3, Sotto told reporters that a member of the minority bloc offered Legarda the Senate presidency, but she declined, saying she was “not interested.” 

Previous fact-checks: Rappler has previously debunked several false claims about public officials being removed from their positions.

• FACT CHECK: DILG’s Remulla not resigning from Marcos Cabinet over flood control mess 
• FACT CHECK: Marcos remains president; no transfer of power to Sara Duterte 
• FACT CHECK: Rodante Marcoleta is still senator
• FACT CHECK: Imee Marcos remains as senator
• FACT CHECK: No, Cayetano isn’t replacing Remulla as Ombudsman   

– Shay Du/Rappler.com

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