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For several months, the House of the Senate had been constrained by the Duterte-allied forces under the leadership of Former Senate President Chiz Escudero, who is now ousted, allowing the minority bloc to regain control of the chamber. With the new leader returning amid fallout from the floods scandal, will change be superficial? After being linked to alleged anomalous flood control contractors and his Senate-led decision on Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment, Senator Escudero was ousted from the Senate leadership of the 20th Congress on Monday, September 8. He was replaced by the veteran legislator Senator Tito Sotto, who secured the support of 15 senators. It cannot be denied by looking at the nine senators who did not vote for the senate president seat were the Duterte bloc. Placing the long-time minority senators to become the majority bloc. But what led to the Senate leadership shake-up? The trigger for Escudero’s ouster was the Senate’s tainted reputation, alluding to some senators’ ties to contractors. Senator Tito Sotto, or most well-known by his nickname “Tito Sen” is no stranger. Sotto had begun his senatorial journey in 1992 and served two consecutive terms until 2004. In 2007, he was appointed chairman of the Dangerous Drugs Board from 2008 to 2009, before returning to the Senate in 2010. He then served as Senate president from 2018 to 2022. In fact, it would be accurate to say that among the senators in the 20th Congress, Sotto is the most experienced as apart from already having served as Senate president, he is also the longest-serving senator in history—being elected five non-consecutive times. The question now is: “What do we expect from him?” His experience would define his brand of leadership, whether it will strengthen the Senate as an independent institution, or merely just a typical recycled old political habit. He is widely regarded as a dealmaker—someone who is skilled in negotiating deals or agreements. The Senate has kept itself beholden to shifting alliances, Escudero’s downfall was tied to perceptions of a constrained chamber. On the contrary, Sotto is more assertive. During his previous stint as Senate President, on May 16, 2019, during the Kapihan sa Senado, Sotto defended the Senate’s independence saying that the chamber “would not be a rubber stamp of the Duterte administration” amid the looming dominance of the administration’s allies. He assured that the upper chamber would remain independent, transparent, and sincere. Critics argue his long track record as a double-edged sword, owing to his undeniably traditional politics that has defined the Senate for decades. His leadership style we’re built on compromises, backroom deals, and personal ties. This may steady the institution but is unlikely to radically transform it. The looming trajectory of the jury is still out. This is a challenge for the Senate’s two-term helmsman. Can he prove that his term is more than just another round of musical chairs in Philippine politics? If he can assert and strengthen the Senate’s decision-making process, then his leadership might be a turning point. The outcome could go either way, however, if he simply continues the same unjust status of the council, history may remember his term as just another instance of senators switching seats, while the society’s deeper problems remain unresolved.