DAVAO CITY—Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano on Saturday night said he was “confident” that he would have the numbers to win as the next Senate President.
“(I am) confident but not overconfident,” Cayetano told reporters here when asked about his chances of winning the Senate presidency.
He said around 15 senators “are giving their commitment” to support for his bid as Senate president.
But Cayetano said the race isn’t over until the Senate opening of the 17th Congress where senators would decide who’s the next leader of the upper chamber.
“Ang sinsabi ko lang may nabubuong consensus na (All I’m saying is that a consensus is forming), senators are giving their commitment,” he said.
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He said choosing the next Senate president is critical for the Duterte administration.
“We have to choose the right people for the job,” he said, adding the Senate President would push for the legislative agenda of the President.
He said the Senate needs to have “a strong majority” that will not only protect the integrity of the senate but the integrity of our democratic system.”
Cayetano, a Nacionalista Party member who was Duterte’s running mate in the May 9 elections, is up against Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, the incoming President’s partymate in the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).
Incumbent Senate President and Liberal Party’s Franklin Drilon is also expected to fight to retain his post, while the Nationalist People’s Coalition’s Sen. Vicente Sotto III is also said to be in the running.
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If he wins the Senate Presidency, Cayetano said “we will work within the parameters of the mandate of this President.”
Duterte and Cayetano ran their campaign under the platform of fighting crimes, illegall drugs and corruption in government. CDG