Tito Sotto

Vicente "Tito" Castelo Sotto III (Tagalog pronunciation: [ˈsɔtɔ]; born August 24, 1948) is a Filipino politician and television personality who has served as the president pro tempore of the Senate of the Philippines since 2026. He previously served as the 32nd president of the Senate of the Philippines from 2025 until 2026, a position he previously held from 2018 to 2022. Sotto has been a senator since 2025, having previously also served in the role from 1992 to 2004 and from 2010 to 2022. He is the longest-serving Philippine senator in history, the only one elected for five non-consecutive terms, and the second Philippine senator in history to have held all four major leadership positions in the Senate. During his tenure in the upper chamber, he served as Senate majority leader and Senate minority leader before becoming Senate president. In between his Senate tenures, he led the Dangerous Drugs Board for a year. He served as the vice mayor of Quezon City from 1988 to 1992, and unsuccessfully ran for vice president in the 2022 elections as Panfilo Lacson's running mate. Beyond politics, Sotto is a songwriter, known for founding the iconic musical group VST & Co. alongside his brothers Vic and Val Sotto, which is considered one of the best Filipino bands of all time and the "pioneer of the Manila sound". In television, he is known as one of the pioneer hosts of Eat Bulaga!, the longest-running variety show and the longest-running entertainment program in Philippine television history, and has appeared in numerous television shows and films as an actor. He is colloquially dubbed "Tito Sen" by the audience. Sotto was also an athlete. He was a member of the Philippine national bowling team, representing the country several times at the AMF World Cup. He won a bronze...