Keep off Senate presidency contest, Villar tells Palace

Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. urged President Arroyo yesterday to stay away from the fight for the Senate presidency between him and the incumbent occupant of the post, Sen. Franklin Drilon.

"We in the majority can settle this matter among ourselves," Villar said in a radio interview. He said the majority intends to meet way before the convening of the incoming 13th Congress on July 26 to resolve the issue involving the Senate leadership.

Villar has confirmed that he is interested in becoming Senate president even as Drilon is banking on the loyalty of his colleagues to retain his post.

Villar intends to give Drilon a run for his money. He belongs to the so-called Wednesday Group that includes colleagues Joker Arroyo, Francis Pangilinan, Ralph Recto, and Vice President-elect Noli de Castro, who is ending his term as senator tomorrow. If Villar can convince his three remaining colleagues in the Wednesday Group to vote for him as Senate president, he would need all of the nine opposition senators to muster a majority of 12 or 13.

It is doubtful, however, if Pangilinan would vote for Villar. Pangilinan is now majority leader and a stalwart of the Liberal Party (LP), which Drilon chairs.

Assuming that Villar is able to convince the group of opposition Sen. Edgardo Angara to support him, it is equally doubtful if Sen. Panfilo Lacson will go with the minority bloc. Asked recently which group he would join in a fight for the Senate presidency, Lacson said he would be with colleagues that do not include Angara.

Angara and Lacson’s camps within the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) engaged in a bitter quarrel before, during and after the May elections. Angara had dumped Lacson, his party-mate, in favor of movie actor Fernando Poe Jr., whose presidential bid Angara supported. — With Jose Rodel Clapano