Zubiri: Lapid part of Sotto bloc, but free to join majority group

Sen. Manuel “Lito” M. Lapid (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau).

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri has counted Sen. Lito Lapid as part of the “veterans bloc” in the Senate.

Lapid is the fifth member of the group, which includes Senators Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, and Zubiri.

“We have with us Sen. Lito Lapid as well, so [there are] five of us,” Zubiri said Tuesday over ANC’s Headstart.

“And of course, we told Sen. Lito that if we form the Minority, he doesn’t have to join us, right? Because he may want to be with the Majority for a different reason,” he added.

Zubiri has openly declared that Sotto would be their candidate for Senate president when the 20th Congress opens on July 28.

READ: ‘Senate presidency not a done deal, Sotto bloc ready to back dark horse’

If Sotto fails to gain the support of the majority of the 24 senators, his group is considering forming a new minority bloc.

READ: Tito Sotto ‘ready’ to serve as Senate minority leader

“We’re counting if we don’t make it on [the] 28th of July, Sen. Sotto will be our Minority Leader, and the membership is as follows: myself, Loren Legarda, and Ping Lacson, and we consider ourselves the veterans bloc and hopefully we can make changes in the Senate,” Zubiri said.

He reiterated that Sen. Risa Hontiveros is welcome to join them in the minority, after receiving information that her supposed allies—Sens. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and Bam Aquino have already committed to supporting the leadership of incumbent Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero.

According to Zubiri, he was told by sources—who are senators—that Pangilinan and Aquino have already signed a resolution supporting Escudero and have also asked the committees on agriculture and education.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada earlier confirmed that Pangilinan was offered the chairmanship of the agriculture panel, while the education panel was offered to Aquino.

Pangilinan did not directly answer Zubiri’s claim, reiterating that they are still discussing the Senate presidency race with Hontiveros.

“In fact, the two of us met again yesterday, and we might have another meeting—this time with Bam—before the 28th. So just stay tuned for the 28th,” Pangilinan said in a Viber message./mcm/abc