Opposition to field Angara?

Former Executive Secretary Edgardo Angara may be the opposition’s bet for the Senate presidency if it manages to win the majority in the chamber, Senate President Pro Tempore Blas Ople said yesterday.

"It all depends on the final configuration of the Senate," Ople said. It can be recalled that Angara once held the third highest post in the land.

The only incumbent opposition senators are Tessie Aquino-Oreta, Vicente Sotto III, Rodolfo Biazon and Ople. Four more opposition bets are on the inside track to join the Senate if the counting trend holds: former First Lady Loi Ejercito, former police chief Panfilo Lacson, re-electionist Sen. Gregorio Honasan and Angara.

However, there are doubts if Biazon can be considered an opposition senator since he voted for the opening of the controversial "Jose Velarde" envelope during the aborted impeachment trial of then President Joseph Estrada.

Meanwhile, Sen. Loren Legarda expressed fears yesterday that the opposition might get the Senate presidency if pro-administration senators remain divided on their choice for the top Senate post.

She urged the three administration aspirants to the post — re-electionist Sen. Franklin Drilon, Sen. Renato Cayetano and Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr. — to talk things over and choose a common candidate.

She made the call as the race for the Senate presidency started to heat up. She said that she had a talk with Cayetano early yesterday morning and then with Drilon in the afternoon.

"If the People Power Coalition (PPC) in the Senate will be divided into three factions, a united opposition might run away with the Senate presidency," Legarda said.

Pro-administration senators are expected to hold the majority in the upcoming 12th Congress with the likely election of eight PPC senatorial candidates. Legarda said that there are feelers for an alliance of the PPC with election topnotcher Noli de Castro to make it nine incoming pro-administration senators.

Legarda, the topnotcher in the 1998 senatorial elections, and De Castro were both broadcasters for ABS-CBN.

Earlier, Sen. Ramon Revilla formally returned to Lakas in a swearing in ceremony officiated by Vice President Teofisto Guingona, national president of Lakas. Sen. John Osmeña, who turned independent last week, is reportedly amenable to forging an alliance with the majority.

At the same time, Legarda stressed that neither the PPC nor her party, Lakas-NUCD, has any official candidate at the moment. Of the three pro-administration contenders, only Cayetano is a member of Lakas. Drilon belongs to the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino while Pimentel belongs to PDP-Laban.

"Senators are known to cross party lines in voting for Senate president," she said.

She said that Cayetano, Drilon and Pimentel are all highly qualified for the Senate presidency but only one of them should be nominated on the floor so that the majority would not be fractious. – Efren Danao