THE Senate presidency will be a fight between Sen. Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri and Sen. Cynthia Villar, Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said on Wednesday, May 18.
Angara issued the statement hours before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) proclaimed the 12 winning senators.
Speaking at the “Kapihan sa Manila Bay” a weekly media forum, Angara admitted that Zubiri and Villar have talked to him about their plans to become the Senate president in the 19th Congress.
While other senators have also expressed their interest to lead the chamber, Angara said that Zubiri and Villar were the frontrunners because of their wider alliances with their peers in the Senate.
Reelectionist Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian who ran under the UniTeam of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio had also his eye on the top Senate post.
Interviewed over CNN Philippines, Gatchalian shared that he has talked to some of his colleagues about his plan.
“I have talked to some of our colleagues about that and of course, since reelectionist naman ako (I am a reelectionist) and I have been in the Senate for the last six years, I’ve also had some good plans for the institution,” he said.
The name of returning senator Sorsogon Gov. Francis “Chiz” was also floated, but he is yet to make a formal announcement.
Angara said he expects the Senate of the incoming 19th Congress to have some degree of independence given the diversity of its members.
“Myembro sila ng iba’t ibang partido at dala nila ang kanya- kanyang pananaw at ideolohiya at adbokasiya (They are members of the different parties and they bring with them their respective opinion, ideology and advocacy),” said Angara, chairman of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) party.
The Senate elects its president by a majority vote of all its members.
Widely regarded as the most powerful figure in the Senate, the Senate president is the presiding officer and the leader of the majority group.
Under the Constitution, the Senate president is the third in line of succession, after the president and vice president.
Source: JAVIER JOE ISMAEL (The Manila Times)
