Sen. Enrile, Rep. Belmonte get top posts in 15th Congress

Senator Juan Ponce Enrile will reprise his role as the president of the Senate of the Philippines, after a majority of the senators on Monday voted for him. Enrile was elected on the floor of the 15th Senate during the official opening of its session Monday morning. Senator Franklin Drilon, also a former Senate president, presided over the election of the new head of the chamber. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly, 227 against 29, for Quezon City Rep. Feliciano Belmonte Jr. as the House Speaker. Liberal Party (LP) secretary general and Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya nominated Belmonte, who went up against Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman of Lakas-Kampi-CMD. 
All in all, 258 House members attended the opening of the session. (See: Rep. Belmonte elected as House Speaker) At the Senate, Enrile went up against Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who was nominated by Senator Joker Arroyo. Arroyo admitted that he nominated Cayetano "out of necessity" and "out of need." "We must maintain a healthy Senate ... a Senate not beholden to anyone," he said during the election. Among the 20 senators present on Monday, Enrile received 17 of the votes while Cayetano received three votes from Enrile, Arroyo, and Senator Pia Cayetano. Only Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago was absent. Senate unity Enrile said his "triumph" was not his alone. "It also signals the unity that is needed by our country today... a sign of the merging spirit in our land and our nation," he said. He said his election effectively united contending parties in the chamber. "We have set aside the partisan political divide that separates us to arrive at the consensus to elect the head (of the Senate)," he said. Senator Francis Pangilinan of the Liberal Party and Senator Manuel Villar of the Nacionalista Party, who were early contenders for the Senate presidency, backed out of the race when none of them could muster enough votes to bag the post.

Meanwhile, Senator Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada was unanimously reelected as the Senate Pro Tempore. Estrada was nominated by Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. Revilla said the reelected Senate Pro Tempore will "complement" the leadership of Enrile and will "articulate" the sentiments of the Filipino people. Senator Vicente "Tito" Sotto III was unanimously voted as the majority floor leader and chairman of the Senate committee on rules, while Cayetano was elected as minority floor leader. Incumbent Senate secretary Emma Reyes and sergeant-at-arms Jose Balajadia Jr. were also reelected by all the senators present during the session. The Senate session was opened by Reyes upon the instruction of Enrile, who said the move was meant to remove doubts that he was "clinging" to power as the previous head of the chamber. After the opening of the session, Senator Edgardo Angara led the opening prayer while the Senate choir sang the Philippine national anthem. Vice President Jejomar Binay and former president Joseph Estrada were present during the session. Pangilinan withdraws Senate bid Just weeks ago, Pangilinan was touted as the front-runner in the Senate presidency race. However, on the eve of the opening of the 15th Congress, Pangilinan announced Sunday that he is withdrawing from the Senate presidency race. He said that pursuing the bid would only keep the chamber “fragmented and disunited." “Much as I would like to go down fighting, I realize that to continue with my bid would keep the Senate fragmented and disunited. The disunity must now end. I believe I can help make it happen by voluntarily stepping aside," Pangilinan said in a statement on Sunday. “After prayer and reflection, consulting my family and our Senate allies, I have decided to withdraw from the race in order to pave the way for the senators to choose another from our ranks who can unite us," he said. Pangilinan belongs to the Liberal Party, the political group of newly elected President Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III. The only other LP members in the Senate are Senators Franklin Drilon, Ralph Recto, and Teofisto Guingona III. In withdrawing from the race, Pangilinan admitted that he could not get the 13 votes needed to get elected Senate president. - VVP/YA, GMANews.TV