Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson dismissed as fake news an online post claiming another Senate leadership shakeup is underway.
“Peke. Intended to deceive and confuse. Underestimating the intelligence of the new Senate majority bloc,” Lacson said, calling it “malevolent, underhanded, foul and desperate.”
He even dubbed it “Faky Breaky News,” a play on the song “Achy Breaky Heart.”
The post, published Saturday night by “OneTV Philippines,” alleged that Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano had the numbers to replace Senate President Vicente Sotto III. OneTV describes itself as a “Digital News Network” based in Davao and Pagadian, but its YouTube channel has fewer than 2,000 subscribers and was last updated in July 2024.
Lacson stressed that Senate leadership changes follow a proper process.
“[You] call or approach the Senate President, show him the resolution signed by at least 13 senators, then [s/he] resigns at the opening of the session, not through a media outlet, whether nationally recognized or obscure,” according to him.
A leadership change took place on September 8, when Sotto was elected Senate President, with Lacson chosen as Senate President Pro Tempore and chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee.IMT
