Joel Villanueva considers joining Senate minority bloc

Resigned Majority Leader Joel Villanueva —Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB

MANILA, Philippines — Following the change in Senate leadership, former Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said he is carefully studying the possibility of joining the chamber’s minority bloc, but he remains undecided to date.

In an ambush interview on Tuesday, Villanueva said he already talked to Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III about the matter.

“Ang daming options available for us. Especially for me. On my end, I could only speak for myself of course na pwede eh, pwede akong mag-minority. Pinag-usapan din namin ni Sen. Koko yan,” he said.

(There are many options available for us. Especially for me. On my end, I could only speak for myself, of course, that I can— I can join the minority bloc. Sen. Koko and I already talked about that.)

Former Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri earlier coined the term “Magic 7,” pertaining to the group of people that stood by his side amid the ouster plot against him.

READ: Senators weep as Senate President Zubiri delivers his valedictory speech

These senators include Villanueva, Senators Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay, JV Ejercito, Loren Legarda, and Sherwin Gatchalian.

“If others will join me, what’s gonna happen and also I think we have enough time to decide on it. We have enough time,” he added.

According to Villanueva, there were also “committees being offered” to him by the new leadership. He did not elaborate on this, but prior to the former majority leader’s disclosure, newly-instated Senate President Pro Tempore Jinngoy Estrada said he already offered the chairmanship of the chamber’s panel on labor to Villanueva.

Villanueva, for his part, emphasized that he is still “studying [his] option[s].”

“At the end of the day, I will always choose to serve our people. It is my sworn duty. This is the reason why God brought me here in the Senate. And that is to serve the best interest of our people,” he said.

Quoting Zubiri, Villanueva said members of the “Magic 7” remain “independent senators as of this time.”