As change in Senate leadership looms, Drilon vows to keep opposition intact

Senate Minority Leader Senator Franklin Drilon on Sunday vowed to keep the opposition intact as change in Senate leadership looms.

Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III may replace Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel after 14 senators signed last week a draft resolution urging a change in leadership.

READ: 14 senators sign draft resolution electing Sotto as next Senate leader

Drilon said the minority group would not contest the move to change the Senate leadership. But he maintained that the minority would continue to be the voice of opposition in the upper house.

“I don’t expect any change in the trust of [the] Senate. We will continue to play the role of minority group, we will maintain our position as opposition,” Drilon said in an interview over DZBB.

The senator downplayed rumors that a minority senator would jump ship and leave for the majority.

He explained that there were only five senators in the minority bloc. The sixth, Leila de Lima, was detained in Camp Crame. Though he said he hasn’t spoken to his fellow senators, he said it’s quite impossible for them to go their separate ways, as three of the five belong to the Liberal Party.

READ: Minority bloc wants De Lima back in Senate

He added that he could not imagine Senators Risa Hontiveros and Antonio Trillanes IV being part of the majority group.

“Sa aking tingin di sila aalis ng minority group. On my part di ko alam ang totoo pero di ako makapaniwala na may lilipat (I think they wouldn’t leave the minority group. On my part, I don’t know the real score but I can’t believe that some of us will jump ship),” he said. /ee