MEETING WITH RODY Presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to receive today聽well-wishers in this office at Matina Enclaves in Davao City. PETER LAVI脩A
PRESUMPTIVE President-elect Rodrigo Duterte will likely play a role in shaping the new Senate and House leadership, especially since he intends to push for the amendment of the Constitution for a shift to the federal form of government.
鈥淚 will assume the personality of Digong (Duterte鈥檚 nickname) is one of forceful leadership. Inevitably, he will have to play a role [in the Senate leadership fight],鈥� said former Sen. Aquilino 鈥淣ene鈥� Pimentel Jr., founder of the Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), Duterte鈥檚 party.
Asked whether Duterte鈥檚 plans for a federal government had something to do with it, Pimentel agreed.
鈥淓specially of that aspect for federalism, which is what he stood for. He most probably would stand by that,鈥� Pimentel said in a news conference on Sunday.
鈥楽tumbling blocks鈥�
He noted that the Senate and the House of Representatives could be 鈥渟tumbling blocks鈥� to Duterte鈥檚 plan, in which case聽 the new Philippine leader would need to use 鈥減ositive leadership or influence鈥� to align the two houses of Congress with聽 his program.
But Pimentel also said the new Senate composition would again see more senators from Luzon than from the Visayas and Mindanao.
鈥淭herefore much of the alternate shape of the Senate and the House will depend on the leadership of Digong,鈥� he said.
Pimentel also noted that 鈥渨hen a new President is elected, regardless of the 鈥� partisan composition of the House and the Senate, there鈥檒l be a gravitational pull of the Office of the President that will impel most members to express their support for the new President.鈥�
Pimentel鈥檚 son, Sen. Aquilino 鈥淜oko鈥� Pimentel III, who is the current PDP-Laban president, is in Davao this week for talks with Duterte about the presumptive President-elect鈥檚 legislative agenda as well as the Senate leadership.
The Senate in the incoming 17th Congress will be made up of members of the Liberal Party, the Nationalist People鈥檚 Coalition and the Nacionalista Party, as well as independents.