Angara group to vote as bloc for next Senate president

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Edgardo Angara disclosed yesterday that his group would be voting as a bloc to support the next Senate president and their choice would be known next week.

Angara told the weekly news forum Kapihan sa Senado that his group includes himself, Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri, Gringo Honasan, Vicente Sotto III, Manuel Lapid Jr. and Ramon Revilla Jr.

He confirmed that he had talks with the various aspirants for Senate president that included Senators Manuel Villar Jr., Franklin Drilon and Francis Pangilinan.

The incumbent Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile has not met with the group but he had spoken to Angara about the issue.

Both Villar and Drilon were previous Senate presidents. Angara said that Sen. Loren Legarda was supposed to be part of their group but she had indicated her commitment to support Villar. Honasan, meanwhile, has also signified his intention to vote for Enrile if ever he decides to join the race.

Angara said that their group of six would decide as a bloc, “by consensus” so it would already play a significant role in the chamber. “We are looking for a candidate who will uphold the independence of the Senate.

We also would want that the Senate would be identified with reforms. That’s the call of the times,” he said.

Angara had advised Drilon and Pangilinan who are both members of the Liberal Party, that they should decide on who would be the official candidate of the party of President Aquino. “We promised all those who came to us that we will finalize our talk with them once they have resolved their own internal differences,” Angara said.

“We will have our decision on or before July 15.” Villar also has a strong base of supporters in the Senate, particularly his colleagues from the Nacionalista Party Senators Pia Cayetano, Alan Peter Cayetano and Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

He also has the support of Senators Joker Arroyo and Miriam Defensor-Santiago who ran as a guest candidate in the NP last May. The LP, on the other hand, has the clout being the party of the President and also has a significant number of members in the Senate namely Ralph Recto, Sergio Osmeña III and Teofisto Guingona III, Drilon and Pangilinan.

Angara said that he expects Mr. Aquino to have a say in the selection between Drilon and Pangilinan since he is the chairman of the LP. “That’s a party selection. But President Noynoy knows that anointing any of the two LP candidates will have some negative consequences,” Angara said.