Villar leaves Senate presidency issue to colleagues

Sen. Manuel Villar Jr., who has a term-sharing agreement with Senate President Franklin Drilon, said he leaves his fate up to his colleagues in the Senate and perhaps, to some extent, President Arroyo.

While the mutual respect between the executive and legislative branches of government means the executive branch cannot interfere in decisions of the legislature, Villar said the President’s "blessing" counts — especially during these critical times, despite the Palace’s earlier pronouncements that it is not keen on intervening in the realignment of forces in the Senate.

A Senate source revealed that Mrs. Arroyo intervened during the Senate presidency a few years ago when it was a toss-up between Villar and the late Sen. Renato Cayetano. Although Villar had majority votes among his colleagues in the Senate, Drilon became Senate president and remains at the helm of the chamber.

Drilon, it will be recalled, had entered into a similar gentleman’s agreement on term-sharing the Senate presidency with Cayetano, who, however, fell ill and died before he could fulfill his part of the deal.

Villar refused to comment further when pressed with questions about the Senate presidency, adding that in the end getting the top post is not what counts, but how one has served his constituency.

He was earlier quoted in published reports as saying that he is abiding by his term-sharing agreement with Drilon, who will finish his term as Senate president at the end of this year, or midway through the 13th Congress.

Villar also said he has no qualms over the calls for Charter change, saying he can adjust whether the presidential form remains or the country shifts to a parliamentary form of government.

"I don’t mind if its presidential or constitutional assembly, whichever, it is not a problem to me," Villar said.

Although the Nacionalista Party, which Villar heads, has advised Mrs. Arroyo to look for immediate solutions to crises that beset her administration, Villar and his party-mates have not directly asked the President to resign.

Villar said he is inclined to support Charter change through constituent assembly, although he is not closing his door to a constitutional convention.