May 22 ------ THE Senate presidency will be a fight between Sen. Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri and Sen. Cynthia Villar, Sen. Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara said on May 18.
Angara issued the statement hours before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) proclaimed the 12 winning senators. Speaking at the "Kapihan sa Manila Bay" a weekly media forum, Angara admitted that Zubiri and Villar have talked to him about their plans to become the Senate president in the 19th Congress. While other senators have also expressed their interest to lead the chamber, Angara said that Zubiri and Villar were the frontrunners because of their wider alliances with their peers in the Senate.
Reelectionist Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian who ran under the UniTeam of former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio had also his eye on the top Senate post. Gatchalian shared that he has talked to some of his colleagues about his plan. "I have talked to some of our colleagues about that and of course, since reelectionist naman ako and I have been in the Senate for the last six years, I've also had some good plans for the institution," he said. The name of returning senator Sorsogon Gov. Francis "Chiz" was also floated, but he is yet to make a formal announcement.
Angara said he expects the Senate of the incoming 19th Congress to have some degree of independence given the diversity of its members. "Myembro sila ng iba't ibang partido at dala nila ang kanya- kanyang pananaw at ideolohiya at adbokasiya," said Angara, chairman of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) party. "I think the 18th Congress provides a good model for the upcoming 19th Congress in terms of work ethic, leadership, productivity. Debates were long and robust, but much legislation was passed to help our countrymen during a very tough time in our history," he added.
The Senate elects its president by a majority vote of all its members. Widely regarded as the most powerful figure in the Senate, the Senate president is the presiding officer and the leader of the majority group. Under the Constitution, the Senate president is the third in line of succession, after the president and vice president.
On May 18, the Comelec, sitting as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC), proclaimed the 12 senators-elect, nine days after the May 9 national and local polls.
The newly elected senators will join their 12 other colleagues to make up the 24-man Senate. The 12 sitting senators are Cynthia Villar, Mary Grace Poe, Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go, Pilar Juliana Cayetano, Ronald dela Rosa, Angara, Manuel "Lito" Lapid, Maria Imelda Josefa "Imee" Marcos, Francis Tolentino, Aquilino Pimentel 3rd, Ramon Revilla Jr. and Nancy Lourdes Binay. Of the 12 winning senators, seven were with the Marcos-Duterte UniTeam: Padilla, Legarda, Villar, Cayetano, Gatchalian, Estrada and Zubiri. Tulfo and Ejercito, though they ran as independents, were also expected to side with the new administration. From the 12 incumbent senators, the sure allies of the incoming administration are Imee Marcos, Cynthia Villar, Pia Cayetano, Go, dela Rosa, Lapid, Tolentino, Revilla, Angara and possibly, Binay.
Comelec Chairman Saidamen Pangarungan declared the May 9 elections a success for having the highest voter turnout and speedy transmission of votes. "I am proud to say that the Commission on Elections has successfully defended the sovereign right of the people to the democratic process of elections," Pangarungan said. "This is an election with a very efficient and flawless Transparency Server that received all election results in record time immediately after voting on election day," he added.
Source: manilatimes.net
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