‘Third Force’ shaping up in Senate to back Nene

A "third force" is emerging in the Senate because of the inability of the People Power Coalition (PPC) and the Puwersa ng Masa to get the majority, Sen. John Osmeña revealed yesterday.

Osmeña made the announcement as President Arroyo failed the other night to resolve the race for the Senate presidency among PPC stalwarts during a meeting at her late parents’ home at Forbes Park in Makati.

The PPC aspirants for the top Senate post are Franklin Drilon, Renato Cayetano and Joker Arroyo.

Drilon’s commitment to keep Osmeña as chairman of the powerful committee on finance has derailed his upcoming election as Senate president under a term-sharing agreement with Caye-tano.

The group of Arroyo wanted the committee to be headed by Sen. Manuel Villar, while Cayetano has committed the post to Sen. Sergio Osmeña III, an estranged cousin of the other Osmeña.

John Osmeña, who quit the opposition during the election campaign and formed a Cebu-based party in alliance with the administration, said that the third force, which he called Progressive Alliance, would rally behind Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr.

"The Progressive Alliance hopes to gain support from the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) led by Sen. Edgardo Angara, from the Lakas and independents," Osmeña said.

He identified the possible members of the alliance as Blas Ople, Rodolfo Biazon, Tessie Aquino-Oreta, Vicente Sotto III and Angara from the LDP; Juan Flavier, Loren Legarda, Robert Barbers and Cayetano from Lakas; and Sergio Osmeña III, Robert Jaworski, Ramon Revilla, Noli de Castro, Drilon, Pimentel and himself.

His grouping left out the so-called House bloc in the Senate led by Arroyo.

The other members of the bloc are Senators Manuel Villar, Ralph Recto, and Francis Pangilinan. This group is against Osmeña’s getting the finance committee.

If the Progressive Alliance dominates the Senate, then it is a cinch that members of the House bloc would not get any choice committee.

"Senate President Pimentel, under the Progressive Alliance, will provide a leadership which will be supportive of the programs of the Arroyo administration," Osmeña said.

Ople refused to comment on Osmeña’s claim of the possible involvement of LDP in the Progressive Alliance.

"Perhaps, he talked with other members of the LDP but not with me," he added.

John Osmeña has expressed impatience over the failure of the PPC, the supposed majority in the Senate, to become united. This came as even President Arroyo failed the other night to make the various PPC groups adopt a common stand on the leadership struggle.

Flavier said that just when the issue on the finance committee was thought to have been resolved, another cropped up, this time involving the post of Senate President Pro-tempore, the second highest in the chamber.

Flavier said that Villar was already amenable to not getting the finance committee but wanted the pro-tempore considering that he was former Speaker.

"The problem is that Drilon had already committed that post to Sen. Loren Legarda," Flavier said.

He expressed fears that if the House bloc would not get its demand, they would abstain in the voting for Senate president and their candidate could no longer get the needed 13 votes.

Arroyo and Drilon were still meeting as of press time in a last-ditch effort to save the PPC. Flavier said that if the PPC remains divided, Pimentel would keep his post "for a week or so while we are still unraveling this problem."