Kiko remains confident of snagging Senate presidency

Senator Francis Pangilinan of the Liberal Party (LP) remains confident that he is slowly gaining numbers to snag the Senate presidency from rival Senator Manuel Villar Jr. of the Nacionalista Party (NP). "I am as confident as I will be. I am as confident as I ought to be. Basta yung bilang ay gumaganda sa bawat lipas ng araw (The numbers are getting better as the days go by)," Pangilinan told reporters in an ambush interview on Thursday. Earlier, the senator said that LP could approach at least 11 possible allies in the Senate. A senator needs 13 votes to secure the Senate presidency. Under the Constitution, majority of the Senate is pegged at 13 because the number of senators is fixed at 24. The LP has only four members in the incoming chamber — including Pangilinan, Senators Franklin Drilon, Ralph Recto, and Teofisto Guingona III. Among the LP’s natural allies are incumbent Senator Francis Escudero and incoming senator Sergio Osmeña III, who both supported the Liberal Party standard bearer and current Philippine President Benigno Aquino III. Pangilinan is also eyeing the support of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Senate ProTempore Jose “Jinggoy" Estrada, and Senators Edgardo Angara, Vicente “Tito" Sotto III, Gregorio Honasan III, and Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri. Sotto, Honasan, Zubiri are on Angara's bloc together with Senators Loren Legarda, Ramon Revilla Jr., and Lito Lapid. On the other hand, Villar’s bloc has Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Pilar Juliana Cayetano, Miriam Defensor Santiago, Joker Arroyo, and Marcos, who all ran under NP. Pangilinan refused to name who have so far formally expressed their intention to support him in seeking the Senate presidency. But he said that his camp is engaged in talks with other senators. "Lahat ng senador very important. We will be reaching out, kakausapin natin lahat ng grupo, lahat ng indibidwal (Every senator is important. We will be reaching out, we will talk to all groups, all individuals)," he said. No camp has gained the 13 votes needed to bag the post, supposedly contrary to claims made by Villar's camp, he said. He also guaranteed that there would be no stalemate in the race for the Senate presidency. Under the rules of the Senate, Enrile will stay on as the Senate president if no senator gets the 13 votes needed to be elected to the Senate's top post. But Pangilinan said that it will be best for the Senate to reach a majority rather than a stalemate. "It is to the best interest of the institution that we are able to show a working unity... we will work to get that majority," he said. He added that even Enrile is for the election of a new Senate president. "He wants to have a majority," he said, adding the current Senate president had already expressed his support for him. "Yung commitment niya na suportahan ang kandidato ng liberal at hindi siya papanig sa Nacionalista ay andun pa rin. (He remains committed to support the candidate of the LP and not of NP) He remains firm with that commitment," he said. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV