section_path: Aftermath/Election to the Senate presidency
section_name: Election to the Senate presidency
paragraph_text: Election to the Senate presidency
  
  Former Senate president Tito Sotto revealed that at least four senators have urged him to retake the Senate presidency. The incumbent Senate president, Francis Escudero, said he would leave it to the senators on who to pick. Both Sotto and Escudero are members of the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), with Sotto its party chairman.
  
  For the Duterte-aligned senators, Ronald dela Rosa observes neither of them are ambitious enough to target the Senate presidency, and said "What we're after from our bloc is to simply be treated fairly and not be ignored and treated like second class citizens. We should be on equal footing with everyone." On an interview, Rodante Marcoleta did not answer the question if he is vying for the Senate presidency. Dela Rosa later said that the Duterte-aligned senators have not talked about this as Robin Padilla is overseas. Dela Rosa pointed to Alan Peter Cayetano and Migz Zubiri as additional candidates for the Senate presidency. Go later said that both Escudero and Sotto have discussed about the Senate presidential election to them.
  
  On May 24, Imee Marcos said that she had some senators expressing support to her if she runs for the Senate presidency. She also confirmed that she will be joining the Duterte bloc. Jinggoy Estrada, on the other hand, sees Escudero retaining the Senate presidency, and denounced rumors of him replacing Escudero as an interim Senate president on the lame-duck session, saying that "I will decline it. That is not true." Later that week, Sotto explained that the president has usually not interfered with the election of the Senate president, and that the Senate had rejected the president's preferred Senate president before. Sotto also revealed that Escudero had took a leave of absence from the NPC.