Escudero, Trillanes will be Senate minority bloc—Pimentel

IN HIS FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS Sen. Koko Pimentel looks a cinch for the Senate presidency, a position once held by his father. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said he is hoping to get the support of 22 of his colleagues in his bid for Senate presidency except for two—Senators Francis “Chiz” Escudero and Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV—who he said would be in the minority bloc.

At present, Pimentel said he already has the support of 17 senators but said he would invite Senator Alan Peter Cayetano and four of his supporters to join the new majority bloc. The four are incumbent Senators Cynthia Villar, and Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, and Senators-elect Juan Miguel Zubiri and Richard Gordon.

READ: Drilon: Koko is next Senate president

“Seventeen plus five, di (so it would be) 22. I will have to stop at 22 kasi dapat may minority (because there should be s minority [bloc]),” Pimentel said in a phone patch interview with Senate reporters on Wednesday.

The minority, he said, would be composed of Escudero and Trillanes.

“They don’t belong to any group. They don’t reach out to us and the information that we get is that they want to be in the minority. It only adds up to the fact that maybe they really want to be in the minority,” Pimentel said when asked why he considered the two in the minority.

“I agree that there should be a minority so let it be. In fact, I encourage that someone or some group should be interested in being minority.”

Escudero confirmed that he would be part of the minority in the new Congress, which will open on July 25.

“Yes. I told him that I have nothing personally against him but, as a matter of personal principle and belief, I would rather be in the minority in the Senate,” he said in a text message.

He said there was no decision yet as to who would run against Pimentel in the Senate presidency race to get the position of the Minority Leader. Under the rules, the losing contender for the post would automatically become the opposition leader.

Pimentel said he would not make any offer to Cayetano but pointed out that the chairmanship of the Senate blue ribbon committee is still up for grabs.

“Wala akong io-offer pero sa ngayon napansin ko, open pa po yung yung blue ribbon chairmanship. Meron pa rin naman magagandang committees na open pa po,” he said.

(I would not make any offer but I noticed that blue ribbon chairmanship is still up for grabs. There are good committees that are still open.)

Cayetano, running mate of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte in the last May 9 national elections, earlier expressed his desire to run for Senate president. He also claimed to have the support of around 15 senators.

READ: Cayetano says 15 senators backing his presidency in Senate

Pimentel, president of PDP-Laban now being chaired by Duterte, assured that no principle has been compromised to come up with the so-called “super coalition.”

“Mayroong nag-compromise sa mga first preferences ng mga senator (There were senators who compromised on their first preferences) just for us to come up with this super coalition pero pagdating sa prinsipyo wala pong nag-compromise (but when it comes to principles, there was no compromise),” he said. RAM