Palace hints at new Senate leader

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda PHOTO/INQUIRER

MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang described the 9-3 win of Team PNoy in the Senate race, as well as the overwhelming victory of administration candidates in local polls, as a resounding endorsement of President Benigno Aquino III’s ‘straight path’ agenda.

The Aquino administration also expected the new majority—at least 16 senators—to reconfigure the political terrain in Senate when the 16th Congress opens in July.

Facing the media in the Palace just a day after the balloting, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda noted that although in many places official proclamation of winning candidates had yet to take place, the message from the electorate was loud and clear.

“As the counting is completed and the official proclamations take place, it seems clear that our countrymen have spoken overwhelmingly to confirm and expand the mandate for reform and change that they first granted in 2010 to President Aquino,” said Lacierda.

He recalled that the President had led the administration into what he himself had “described as a referendum on this administration—one that will determine whether there will be a continuation and acceleration of reform, or a regression to the old, selfish ways that had harmed our country.”

Lacierda believed that “the victory of Team PNoy is a renewed mandate for straight path, and a vote of confidence for good governance, the continuity of reforms, and a brighter future to come.”

Lacierda hinted at the need for a new Senate president.

“Well, we will have a greater majority in the Senate and that means we will be able to push our reform agenda,” he said, adding:

“Since we will have a greater support in the Senate, that means we will have—we will be able to push our reform agenda, the laws that we feel are our priorities for the country, and so it is certainly a desire that we wanted during the campaign, and it seems like it is going that way.”

The nine reelected and incoming senators of Team PNoy will easily bring to 16 the composition of the new majority in the 16th Congress.

Currently, there are three Liberal Party members in the Senate (Ralph Recto, Teofisto Guingona III and Franklin Drilon), with Mr. Aquino also counting as allies Senators Sergio Osmeña, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Pia Cayetano and Lito Lapid.

At the final miting de avance of Team PNoy in Quezon City Friday, Drilon was introduced by reelectionist senators as the next Senate president.

But Lacierda said that discussions over the Senate leadership would be a matter best left in the hands of senators themselves.

“I think that has also been in the minds of a number of political analysts. But, again, we will leave it with the next composition of the Senate—senators—to decide the leadership in the Senate,” he said.

He said the administration was satisfied with the conduct of the polls, noting that between 200 and 300 Precinct Count Optical Scan machines—representing less than one percent of the total—bogged down.

“Certainly we would like to have all the machines working. But, again, if you look at the whole picture, again, it’s 200 out of 77,000,” said Lacierda.

“It certainly is a better performance than what was being expected of some analysts who … held a very pessimistic view of the 2013 elections. It did not come to pass and, in fact, there was a very high turnout of Filipino voters,” he said.

“So, certainly, we are happy at the conduct of the elections despite the glitches. We are very pleased. In terms of performance, the glitches in 2013 were a lot fewer than in 2010,” he added.

He said this showed that there had been a “marked improvement” in the second automated elections in the country.

“By all accounts, this second automated election has proceeded in a satisfactory manner, with the system and the vast majority of machines working as they were intended. While there were isolated incidents of violence and equally isolated hitches in the voting process, our institutions — from the Comelec (Commission on Elections) to its deputized agencies—volunteers for poll-watching, media, and the public came together and did their utmost to ensure free, fair, and credible elections,” he said.

The Palace then issued a call to respect the will of the majority expressed through the ballot, and to welcome the baton of leadership changing hands.

“The work is cut out for all of us: first, to respect the will of the majority; second, to witness the baton of leadership being handed over from one set of leaders to the next on the basis of the people’s will; and third, to stay on the path that the Filipino people have determined by virtue of their vote for change,” said Lacierda.

He thanked the Filipino people for the support they had shown President Aquino’s “agenda of reform and positive change,” and for doing their part and contributing to the success of these elections.

“As we in government continue to fulfill the mandate entrusted to us by our Bosses, the Filipino people, it is our hope that the next three years will see our country taking even greater strides along the straight path towards equitable progress, peace, and stability for all,” Lacierda said.