Independents key to Senate presidency
Despite all the gratuitous claims being hurled back and forth by the contenders, there appears to be no one group that possesses the numbers to annex the Philippine Senate’s premier post at this time, something which has to come about before Congress convenes in about six weeks, unless certain concessions are made to court the support of certain “independent” colleagues. As expected, the battle for the Senate presidency is going to be confined to the acknowledged power blocs, meaning the Nacionalista Party (NP) led by Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. and the Liberal Party (LP) nominally headed by President-elect Benigno Aquino III. Speaking during the weekly televised “Meet the Press” public affairs program of the National Press Club (NPC), incumbent Senate majority leader Juan Miguel Zubiri explained that NP and LP leaders will have to resort to some major cajoling to attain the 12 votes (based on a universe of 21 senators) that is the minimum absolute number required to clinch the Senate presidency. That is if Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV who is locked up in the stockade on rebellion charges and Sen. Ping Lacson who is the principal suspect in the Dacer-Corbito double murder case and a fugitive from the law since last January still won’t show up for the opening of Congress on July 26. Aquino is definitely a no-show as he has been elected president of the country and therefore no longer a senator. Zubiri said he believes the success of the NP’s Villar on one hand and either Kiko Pangilinan or Franklin Drilon of the LP on the other, in capturing the upper chamber’s top position would entirely depend on their ability to convince the independents — composed of Senators Edong Angara, Bong Revilla, Lito Lapid, Gringo Honasan, Serge Osmeña Jr., Tito Sotto and Zubiri himself — to jump into their respective bandwagons. Source: The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100620com4.html |
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