Zubiri cites peers’ support after days of ouster ‘rumors’

Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” F. Zubiri (File photo from the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)

MANILA, Philippines — Emerging from a week of “rumors” about a supposed plot to unseat him, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Wednesday said he and the rest of the 24-member chamber would concentrate on passing priority bills identified by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac).

“We are soldiering on with our commitment [to approve] Ledac-approved measures. We will continue our work in the different (Senate) committees tackling other important measures,” Zubiri told a media briefing.

“With all these rumors taking place, we are just disregarding that… We can now focus on the issue at hand, which is how to pass legislation that will uplift the lives of the Filipino people,” he said.

Zubiri faced reporters two days after 13 majority bloc members signed a statement declaring full support for his leadership.

READ: 14 senators sign statement of support for Zubiri leadership

He said three more senators later signed the statement, including Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, the supposed top contender to replace him. Estrada had repeatedly denied knowledge of such a plan or that he had any hand in it.

Senators Ramon Revilla Jr. and Robinhood Padilla, part of the so-called “Apat na Sikat” bloc of actors-turned-legislators along with Estrada and Sen. Lito Lapid, also signed the statement.

End of such talk

“This should end all those talks of a coup,” Zubiri said. “As I have said, I am deeply humbled by my colleagues’ continued trust in my leadership of the Senate,” he said. “With their strong show of support, I am emboldened to press on as Senate President.”

Also among the signatories were Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, and Senators JV Ejercito, Nancy Binay, Juan Edgardo Angara, Grace Poe, Raffy Tulfo, Mark Villar, Ronald dela Rosa, Francis Tolentino, and Christopher “Bong” Go.

In the statement, the administration senators credited Zubiri with leading the chamber in defending its “dignity and independence as one of our nation’s greatest bulwarks of democracy.”

They said he “shapes the direction of the Senate not with the force of an autocrat, but with the wisdom of a true leader—one who listens and builds bridges of trust and cooperation.”

The Senate needed “a leader who is untainted by corruption or conflict of interest as attempts to discredit the Senate are being used to anchor proposals that would render the institution irrelevant,” they said, adding:

“The integrity of Senate President Zubiri is beyond question. His consensus-building and consultative leadership has made our Senate one of the most harmonious in recent history.”

“Our confidence in the Senate President has only grown stronger in the wake of his decisive handling of the divisive issue of the people’s initiative.”

Related to Cha-cha?

Zubiri declined to comment on Ejercito’s claim that the rumored plot was “initiated” by the House of Representatives and that it was related to the issue of Charter change (Cha-cha).

“I don’t want to add fuel to the fire anymore,” he said, adding that the Senate and the House had already settled their dispute over Cha-cha as shown by the bicameral committee hearings on Wednesday.

He also referred to the hearing held by the Commission on Appointments (CA), its first since the rift over Cha-cha broke out earlier this year. The CA approved the designation and promotion of 46 senior officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Citing an earlier agreement, Zubiri said the Senate subcommittee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes, headed by Angara, would continue to hold hearings on the proposed Resolution of Both Houses No. 6.

‘Big challenge’

Despite having 22 members, he conceded that the so-called supermajority group in the Senate faces an uphill battle in approving the resolution that seeks to lift foreign ownership limits in specific industries.

“It’s a big challenge,” Zubiri said. “I already mentioned to President [Ferdinand Marcos Jr.] that when the time comes, we might need his help to convince the (administration senators).”

“Many of our members are still not sold [to Cha-cha]. But I’m not saying that it’s impossible. There’s still a possibility that we could get the votes of the three-fourth [of the Senate].”