Drilon hems, haws on question of change in Senate leadership

There will be no leadership change in the Senate when the new Congress convenes in July, Sen. Franklin Drilon told reporters last week.

There will be new leaders, though, he said.

“The word ‘change’ is inaccurate because in every new Congress, you elect a new set of officers,” Drilon said at the Team PNoy headquarters in Makati City.

“When Congress opens, we have to elect another set of officers. It could be the present officers of the 15th Congress who will be elected anew or somebody else,” he said.

“So it is new in that sense because they must have the fresh mandate of the senators and the congressmen of the 16th Congress,” Drilon added.

Drilon has downplayed reports that he’s about to take the Senate helm despite being introduced as the next Senate President by reelectionist senators in the course of the administration campaign the past three months.

Drilon was the campaign manager of the multiparty Team PNoy administration coalition that has dominated the senatorial race.

“The term of office of officers ends with the termination of a particular Congress. So the terms of the present set of officers end with the termination of the 15th Congress on June 30, 2013,” Drilon said.

“The elected can be the officers also of the 15th Congress, but they must be elected anew because the Congress is a new Congress. Day one, when the session starts, you elect,” he said.

After the proclamation

Drilon said those interested in the Senate leadership are expected to start talking to their colleagues after all 12 senators-elect have been proclaimed.

The lawmaker said it was important for the administration to have control of the congressional majority.

“It is important because of the number of pieces of legislation that we would have to enact,” Drilon said.

“The President must have the capacity to continue with the reforms that we started,” he added.

To be specific, Drilon said the administration “must put in place the legislative support for the ARMM peace agreement.”

Drilon also mentioned measures for even more economic reforms.

“We must continue to restructure our tax system, particularly the rationalization of fiscal incentives. So that we can plug certain loopholes,” Drilon said.

“On the other hand, we must review how we can be—if there are certain laws that stand in the way of making us, prevents us from being—attractive in terms of foreign direct investments,” he added.

“So it’s important that the President would have the majority in both houses. At least we have a majority in both houses,” Drilon said.