Senate Presidency still anybody's ball game

The Senate Presidency is still anybody’s ball game, two months before the start of the 15th Congress. In an interview with reporters Monday, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano said no bloc in the chamber can claim they have the number because every senator is testing the water now. “I don’t think any specific bloc can claim that they have the numbers dahil wala namang ni isang partido ang may 13 members. So I think magiging fluid ang situation in the next few weeks..it might be a seesaw ibig sabihin this week mas lamang itong grupo na to, the next yung grupo na yan, so it will depend on a lot of factors," he said. (No single bloc can claim to have 13 members. So I think the situation will become fluid in the next few weeks. It will depend on a lot of factors.) In the past few days, it was the bloc of Senator Manuel Villar Jr., where Cayetano belongs, who has the number. Besides two senators, they also have Senators Pia Cayetano, Miriam Defensor Santiago, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and Joker Arroyo. But now, the bloc of Senator Edgardo Angara has the most number of allies, among them Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senators Loren Legarda, Ramon Revilla Jr., Lito Lapid and their recent addition Gregorio Honasan II and incoming Senator Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III. The Liberal Party has only four members in the incoming Congress, namely Senators Francis Pangilinan, Franklin Drilon, Ralph Recto, and Teofisto Guingona III. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and ProTempore Jinggoy Estrada will most likely support the same bet while Senator Francis Escudero said he is independent. The said blocs were yet to announce the candidates they will field for the Senate Presidency. The senator said there have been talks on the next Senate President but there is no final decision yet. “I think everyone is talking to everyone pero hindi pa ganun kalalim yung mga talks kasi hindi ka naman basta- basta makakapagfinalize this early because mismong kausap mo naman do not want to finalize. Everyone is testing the waters at this point in time," he said. (Talks have not been finalized because even the people you talk to do not want to finalize them.) Cayetano believed the blocs would form coalition to support their common candidate in the next few weeks. “It’s easier to talk to a bloc than to certain individuals," he said. He added that the number of allies now does not mean a victory come July 26. “We have quite a number of allies but that doesn’t guarantee you a win right now nor does the winning of the Presidency guarantee the Liberal Party that they will have the Senate President," Cayetano said. He further said that whoever will win the Senate presidency will always have to watch his back because it will be easy for anyone to muster 13 senators to oust the Senate head. Asked what has Villar told them regarding the Senate presidency, Cayetano said they will be forming the blocs and will choose later on who among them will be fielded for the post. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV