Senator Imee Marcos has firmly denied allegations that she instigated an alleged move to unseat Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, saying she was among the last to learn about the supposed “coup d’état” within the chamber.

Marcos said members of the Senate minority bloc could attest that she had no hand in any effort to remove Sotto from his post. She described the issue as rooted in growing frustration among some senators over what they perceived as the Senate’s failure to protect its members from attacks linked to ongoing investigations into controversial flood control and other infrastructure projects.

According to the senator, the minority bloc is preparing to release a unified statement to clarify its position on the matter and dispel speculation surrounding the alleged plot.

Despite the controversy, Marcos expressed gratitude to Sotto for allowing her to remain as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in recent months, even though such a position is traditionally held by a member of the majority bloc. She stressed that this arrangement did not indicate that she was siding with the administration on foreign policy issues.

Her recent removal as committee chair, replaced by Senator Erwin Tulfo, has been cited by some observers as one of the triggers behind the alleged attempt to reorganize Senate leadership.

The situation was further complicated by the reported leak of a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee report recommending charges against several former and incumbent senators in connection with the alleged flood control scandal, which has intensified tensions within the chamber.

As of writing, Senate leadership has yet to issue a formal statement addressing the alleged coup attempt, while senators await the minority bloc’s collective clarification on the issue.