Marcos admits 'trust, confidence in Zubiri remains,' denies hand in Senate coup

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday admitted that his trust and confidence with ousted Senate president Juan Miguel Zubiri remained as he shrugged off speculations that he had a hand in the change in the Senate leadership

In a media interview on Wednesday, the Chief Executive maintained that his knowledge was limited to Sen. Francis Escudero who informed him that he was replacing Zubiri as Senate president following a vote by the senators.

«The decision to change the leadership is not made by me. It was made by the senators. So, that does not reflect on my view on Senator Migz (Zubiri's nickname) and the trust and confidence that — in my view were — that I have in him,» Marcos told reporters at the conclusion of his two-day state visit to Brunei Darussalam.

Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri. PHOTO BY RENE H. DILAN

He likewise dispelled talk that Zubiri's replacement was due to his «failure to follow instructions from the higher ups.»

«I guess if you're Senate President, the only power that be is the President. So, I'm not sure what he is referring to. If that is a specific instance or just as a general principle. I don't know. I haven't spoken to him about it,» he said.

«The last time I spoke to him we talked about the procurement law. This didn't come up. So, it's hard for me to answer simply because I'm not quite sure what he's referring to because what instructions could there be that hindi niya natapos (he wasn't able to finish). Yes, that's still unclear to me what he was referring to,» he said.

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