Cayetano won’t stand in Drilon’s way

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano: Not seeking Senate presidency. RYAN LEAGOGO/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Philippines—Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said Wednesday he would not get in the way of Sen. Franklin Drilon’s bid to become the next Senate President.

“I think, right now, the bigger challenge to me is not being the Senate President or going after it but being part of a team. That’s why I won’t actively campaign or seek it,” Cayetano told the Inquirer at a meeting with the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which supported him in the May 13 election.

He said that while his party, the Nacionalista Party, constituted the biggest bloc in the Team PNoy coalition and therefore could assert its right to the Senate leadership, he deemed it fit that the country “needed unity more.”

“We didn’t have any question about the leadership, the leadership style and the track record, at least in the last three years, of Senator Drilon, I was one of [those] who earlier on endorsed him,” Cayetano said.

He said outgoing Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. discussed the matter with Drilon.

Cayetano admitted asking Drilon about his legislative agenda, wanting this to carry the issues that people raised during the election, like those related to education and agriculture. “I hope the agenda of President Aquino and our agenda are considered,” he said.—Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon