Senators Alan Peter Cayetano (L) and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III. FILE PHOTOS
“Nobody else can elect the Senate President except the senators,” was Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III’s unsolicited advice to Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who is eyeing the highest position in the Senate when the 17th Congress opens on July 25.
“Actually if Alan wants the position, he should not go to Davao because the position is not determined in Davao. He should talk to his fellow senators,” Pimentel said in an interview when asked if Cayetano could still take the post from him.
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Pimentel said 14 senators have already signed a resolution favoring him as Senate President in the next Congress. A simple majority or 13 senators of the 24-member chamber is needed to elect a Senate leader.
Incumbent Senate President Franklin Drilon was one of the 14 senators who signed the resolution after he conceded the post to Pimentel, president of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) chaired by President-elect Rodrigo Duterte.
READ: Drilon: Koko is next Senate president
Pimentel also expressed confidence that Duterte would not interfere in the Senate presidency race despite talk that the latter was pushing for Cayetano.
READ: Cayetano as Senate head gets Duterte nod
“I don’t know if the President will do that. And number two, I don’t know if that will work. You have to campaign among your fellow senators,” he said.
Pimentel is the lone partymate of Duterte in the Senate while Cayetano was the President-elect’s running mate in the May 9 elections.
Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III also believes that Duterte would not dip his hands in the Senate leadership race.
“Ang narinig ko kay President Duterte sa media noong siya ay nainterview minsan, sabi niya, ayaw niyang makialam sa Senate leadership (What I heard from President Duterte in an interview was that he won’t interfere with the Senate leadership). I think he wants to preserve the independence of the Senate,” Sotto said in a forum at the Senate Wednesday. CDG/rga