Gatchalian thanks Sotto for ‘proper’ office turnover

MANILA, Philippines —  Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian yesterday thanked his predecessor, now-Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente Sotto III, for turning over the office of the chamber’s highest official in tip top shape.

Contributed photos of the office showed that Sotto turned over the Senate President’s office to Gatchalian with the polished wooden floors, granite countertops and sofas intact and in place.

Gatchalian thanked Sotto for giving him his personal chair and sofa, saying the leadership is ready to buckle down to work.

“It’s beautiful. I am thankful to Sen. Sotto because he even left me his personal chair and sofa,” Gatchalian said.

“So, I am ready to move in, hit the ground running because I will no longer worry about the renovation,” he added.

Sotto’s turnover was a direct contrast to what flood control suspect and suspended senator Jinggoy Estrada did to the Senate President Pro Tempore office, which was stripped of all fixtures and defaced.

Estrada justified his move saying turning over an office in that condition is “standard practice.”

Gatchalian disagreed, saying “respect and courtesy should be the standard.”

Sotto served as Senate President from September 2025 to May 2026. He was ousted from the post by Alan Peter Cayetano in May. Cayetano only lasted a month before his ouster by Gatchalian. Sotto was elected Gatchalian’s Pro Tempore.

Meanwhile, Estrada served as Senate President Pro Tempore during the May 2024-September 2025 Senate presidency of Francis Escudero.

Case vs Sotto junked

In a related development, the Supreme Court threw out the petition for indirect contempt against Sotto over his opposition to a previous ruling that nullified the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte in 2025.

The high tribunal unanimously dismissed the petition for indirect contempt against Sotto filed by a group composed of lawyers Manuelito Luna, Ferdinand Topacio and Reina Mercedes, Isabela Vice Mayor Harold Respicio, retired brigadier general Virgilio Garcia and Mary Catherine Diaz Binag in February this year.

In a statement yesterday, the SC declared “Sotto’s disagreement with the impeachment ruling and its ponente, Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, was part of public debate on an issue of national importance.”

In absolving Sotto, the SC said his pronouncements did not pass what it called the “incitement test” and the “clear and present danger test” that both assess the likelihood of carrying violence as a result of related speech.

The high court emphasized that “provocative, harsh or critical statements are still protected speech.”

In a statement, Sotto clarified that his previous disagreement with the ruling did not equate to a lack of respect for the judiciary.

“I disagreed with one of its decisions. That does not mean I have lost respect for the Court. I have always held it in high regard as an institution, and I return the respect it has shown me in its decision,” he said. –  Ghio Ong, Neil Jayson Servallos