Senate President Vicente Sotto Clarifies Controversial 'Mamatay Sila sa Sama ng Loob' Comment

During the Senate plenary on Monday, September 15, Senate President Vicente Sotto III provided clarification on his contentious remark "mamatay sila sa sama ng loob," which many interpreted as directed at the minority bloc led by Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano. The confrontation unfolded when Senator Ronald Dela Rosa questioned Sotto about his earlier comments made during a podcast.

Sotto responded by emphasizing that his statement was aimed at internet trolls attacking his leadership rather than the Senate minority. He stated, "When I said 'mamatay sila sa sama ng loob,' we were addressing the trolls because they were making those accusations. It was completely misunderstood."

The Senate president further refuted claims that he was subservient to House Speaker Martin Romualdez concerning the custody of Brice Hernandez, the dismissed Department of Public Works and Highways assistant district engineer under Senate contempt citation. Hernandez is a key witness in separate flood control investigations by both the Senate and the House.

Sotto elaborated, "Just because I mentioned that Martin Romualdez called me, it does not mean I am following him. The request came from the House of Representatives to keep Hernandez there, and I opposed that. Does that make me a 'tuta'?"

The tense exchange escalated when Dela Rosa accused Sotto of treating the Senate like a variety show, referencing his background as a television personality. Sotto defended himself by calling Dela Rosa's approach "unparliamentary" for challenging the presiding officer during the session.

He remarked, "I am not supposed to answer you from the rostrum, but I must do so because you took the floor and seemingly reprimanded the Senate President, which is very unparliamentary. Nevertheless, I will respond."

Sotto also alluded to the circumstances that led some senators from the former majority, once aligned with former Senate President Francis Escudero, joining the minority bloc after Escudero was replaced.

Concluding his statement, Sotto urged critics to understand his position, emphasizing that he was responding to online detractors and not to fellow lawmakers. "You cannot help but feel hurt when accused falsely. It is better to address it openly — the people we are actually responding to are the trolls," he said.