MANILA, Philippines?A day after a coup installed Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile as the Senate president, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. raised fears that an Enrile-led chamber would push for Charter change, which is being sought by Malacañang.

?It?s possible that (the new majority) would discuss Charter change? because Enrile is an ally of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Pimentel said.

But Pimentel?s fears were quickly doused by members of the new majority that included Senators Panfilo Lacson, Manuel ?Mar? Roxas II, Jose ?Jinggoy? Estrada, and newly elected Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri.

Zubiri said he doubted that the new majority in the Senate would support the Charter change initiative [that seeks a shift to a parliamentary form of government].

Presidential aspirants

?Remember the new majority has the biggest number of presidential aspirants. Ergo, they want to run in 2010 ... I doubt they will agree to change the Charter,? Zubiri told reporters.

Five of the 14 senators who supported Enrile?s ascent to the top Senate post are eyeing either the presidency or vice presidency in 2010. They are Roxas, Lacson, Loren Legarda, Francis Escudero and Richard Gordon.

Roxas dismissed as ?baseless? the charge that the change in the Senate leadership would be a precursor for Charter change.

?Let us not jump into conclusions. It is really just an issue of leadership change,? Roxas said.

Debunking fears that Malacañang would have a hold on the new majority, Estrada told reporters that Enrile had promised them he would ?not compromise the Senate.?

Revise Constitution

Interviewed before session opened Tuesday, Enrile himself made it clear that while his position was for Congress to ?review, revisit and revise the Constitution, he was not the Senate or Congress.?

Enrile said he would ?abide by the rule of the majority? on the Charter change issue. He also said he did not think Charter change proposals should include term extensions.

While its ally is at the helm of the Senate, Malacañang would treat the chamber as an independent, co-equal body, just as it?s treating the Supreme Court, Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said of Enrile.

Hands-off policy

Dureza said Malacañang would continue to advocate constitutional reforms, but would keep a hands-off policy when the chamber deliberates on these.

?We are confident that the Filipino nation will benefit from his long experience and competence,? he said.

Lacson said he was confident with the leadership of Enrile who told the new majority that his No. 1 priority was the country followed by the Senate.

?His guidance to us was very general that we proceed with our advocacies, fight against corruption and anomalies,? he said.

Lacson said that senators had also made their position on Charter change clear, and that was why ?there was no way that Cha-cha, will succeed in the Senate.?

Lapid joins minority

As if to prove that Malacañang had no hand in the new Senate leadership, he pointed to Lapid joining the minority.

?Lapid is the best symbol of Malacañang?s intervention. He?s loyal to Malacañang,? Lacson said.

Besides Lapid, Antonio Trillanes IV has joined the Senate minority.

While he voted for Enrile, Lapid told dzBB radio that he wanted to join the minority.

In a statement, Trillanes said that although he respected the majority decision installing Enrile as Senate president, he would have voted for Pimentel.

?Thus, I continue to remain with the minority and the opposition,? said Trillanes, who is detained in a military camp as he continues to go on trial for his involvement in two attempts to bring down the Arroyo administration.

He expressed the hope that despite Enrile?s perceived alliance with Malacañang, the new Senate president ?will strive to maintain the independence and integrity of the Senate as a coequal branch of government.?

?Halo-halo?

Pimentel told reporters that many of his friends in the new majority were asking him to shift to their side. But he said he would stay with the minority.

Looking at the make-up of the new majority, Pimentel said it was ?worse than halo-halo,? in reference to the iced dessert with the colorful mix.

He said halo-halo was something that ?you can?t store (that long). Only for three or four days.?

The senators who make up the new majority are a mixture of different persuasions and personalities and probably ideological directions, according to Pimentel.

Told that Zubiri had said that it would be impossible for the new majority to push for Charter change because there were presidential aspirants on board, Pimentel said this ?may well be true.?

He noted that this group had made ?various reservations? on his federalism bill.