LP picks Kiko over Drilon as bet for Senate president
By Angie M. Rosales 07/03/2010 The ranks of President Aquino’s Liberal Party (LP) in the Senate have chosen Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan over more senior legislator, Sen. Franklin Drilon, as their bet for the upper chamber leadership. Pangilinan is seen to be pitted against former close friend and one-time political ally, defeated presidential candidate Sen. Manuel Villar Jr., in the race for the Senate presidency when Congress opens in some three weeks. Aquino, according to party president and defeated vice presidential bet Manuel Roxas II, had committed not to intervene in the affairs of the Senate, that of luring other senators as to who they should vote for. His participation on the matter was only limited in the so-called consensus-building process, Roxas said in a press conference called by LP. “As titular head, President Aquino was a part of the process and I would like to emphasize, however, that his being a party to this process, to this consensus-building process is only because he is a member of the LP and will be limited to that. President Aquino says that he will respect the independence of the Senate as well as the process of the Senate and the senators in choosing their leader,” he said. This will leave Pangilinan all by himself in convincing at least nine other non-LP colleagues in the Senate to ensure him of the seat over Villar. Luring Villar allies to his side is not among his planned steps within the next couple of weeks to seal the needed numbers, according to Pangilinan, as Villar’s people in the Nacionalista Party (NP) pronounced move is to field him as their candidate. “The LP only has four members in the Senate. We will have to seek alliances, but we cannot start this unless we first agree within our party,” he said in the LP press conference. Source: The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100703hed3.html |
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