Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III has denied protecting any individual amid discussions on whether former House Speaker Martin Romualdez might be invited to testify before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings on the anomalous flood control projects in the country.
In Thursday night interview on Bilyonaryo, Sotto was asked whether his recent phone call with Romualdez could reignite speculation that he was shielding the lawmaker. He dismissed the notion outright.
“No, I have never protected anyone. It is not in my nature to do so,” Sotto said.
He explained that inter-parliamentary courtesy is a consistent consideration when a sitting member of the House of Representatives is involved.
Sotto added that the Senate only invites House members if they are sponsors of a particular bill.
In the same interview, Sotto was asked how important it would be for former Speaker Romualdez to appear before the Blue Ribbon Committee.
“He’s only been mentioned once. I don’t know. I would not have a fairly good judgment of how important that would be,” Sotto said. (Dhel Nazario)
