Sen. Franklin Drilon. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Senator Franklin Drilon expressed disbelief that President Benigno Aquino III’s popular sister, Kris, would support another candidate for Senate president.
Drilon, who admitted making rounds to get the support of his colleagues for his possible bid for Senate presidency, was surprised when asked about Kris’ supposed endorsement of re-elected Senator Alan Peter Cayetano.
Cayetano is part of the Nacionalista Party, which joined the Liberal Party (LP)- led coalition formed during the last elections. Aquino and Drilon belong to LP.
“Sinabi po ni Kris yan? Saan yan? Gusto kong marinig po. Hindi po totoo yan sa aking pagkakaalam (Did Kris really say that? Where did that come from? I want to hear that. It’s not true from what I know),” Drilon said in a radio interview Wednesday.
“Pakiusap ko lang sa inyo, huwag nyo namang ikalat ang mga ganung kalseng intriga at hindi po maganda para sa atin (My request to all is not to spread such kind of intrigues because it’s not good for all of us),” he added.
Cayetano has not expressed any intention to run for Senate president. In fact, he even described Drilon during the campaign as the next Senate president.
Drilon also claimed that he and outgoing Senator Manny Villar of NP had agreed to support a common candidate for the highest post in the Senate.
Besides administration allies in the Senate, Drilon, in the same radio interview, expressed readiness to reach out even to those who ran under the rival United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) – re-elected Senator Gringo Honasan and Senators-elect Nancy Binay and JV Ejercito.
“Dalawamput tatlong senador e kakausapin natin. Lahat po yan ay kakausapin natin kung ibig nilang kausapin tayo (I’ll be talking to twenty-three senators. I am open to having a dialogue with each one of them if they’re willing to talk to us),” said Drilon, who acted as campaign manager of administration’s Team PNoy.