Senators Franklin Drilon and Koko Pimentel. FILE PHOTOS
As far as outgoing Senate President Franklin Drilon is concerned, there is no question on who will be his successor when the 17th Congress opens听on Monday.
Drilon on Thursday said with certainty that the Senate will elect Sen. Aquilino 鈥淜iko鈥� Pimentel III, President Duterte鈥檚 lone party-mate at the chamber, as the new Senate president, ending speculation on whether his contender, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, still has a fighting chance.
Pimentel, the only member of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) at the Senate, is said to have received the support of at least 14 of his colleagues in the chamber.
鈥淭he Senate will officially convene and officially open the 17th听Congress. We will elect Sen. Aquilino 鈥淜oko鈥� Pimentel III, the only PDP-Laban member in the Senate, as Senate president,鈥� Drilon said.
Drilon, meanwhile, expects to be elected Senate president pro-tempore, the second highest-ranking official in the chamber who takes the place of the Senate president in his absence.
Sen. Vicente Sotto III has secured the votes to become Senate Majority leader.
Drilon, who heads the Liberal Party bloc that has coalesced with the majority, said the matter of Senate leadership was settled early so that it could focus on pursuing the Duterte administration鈥檚 legislative agenda.
鈥淲e would like to hit the ground running. That is why as early as a month ago, we already settled the leadership issue in the Senate so that we could concentrate in preparing for the work ahead of us, so that the stability in the Senate leadership would enable us to concentrate on the measures that we would like to push in the first year of the Duterte administration,鈥� he said in a press forum Thursday.
He said there was no need for the LP to sign a formal coalition with the new ruling party, adding: 鈥淣o need. For us, our word is cast in stone.鈥�
Earlier this week, PDP-Laban released a manifesto supporting the election of Pimentel as Senate president and Davao del Norte First District Representative Pantaleon Alvarez as Speaker, throwing its weight behind its two stalwarts.
In its manifesto, the party recognized the two leaders鈥� 鈥渆normous responsibility鈥� to see to fruition Duterte鈥檚 plans and programs.
鈥溾�T]he party believes that Sen. Aquilino 鈥淜oko鈥� Pimentel III is the most qualified and competent to lead the Senate in spearheading the legislative agenda of President Duterte,鈥� read the manifesto dated July 16 and released on Thursday.
It said the same of Alvarez, who has mustered a 鈥渟uper majority鈥� in the Lower House, with more than 200 lawmakers forming an alliance with the President鈥檚 party.
The manifesto was signed by 32 of national and regional officers, all agreeing to 鈥渢hrow their full and unequivocal support鈥� behind the two party leaders in their bid for Congress leadership. Fourteen other party leaders were unable to sign as they were absent when the resolution was finalized. JE/rga
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