Gatchalian to vie for Senate presidency

MANILA – Reelectionist Senator Sherwin Gatchalian bared Friday that he will eye the Senate presidency in the coming 19th Congress.

Running fourth in the ongoing partial and unofficial tally, Gatchalian will be on his second six-year term.

He said the biggest factor in winning the Senate presidency, currently occupied by losing vice presidential bet Vicente Sotto III, is the support of his colleagues who have different ideas and priorities.

“I have talked to some of our colleagues about that and of course, since reelectionist naman ako (I am a reelectionist) and I have been in the Senate for the last six years, I’ve also some good plans for the institution,” he said during an interview with a news channel.

He denied reports that the 19th Congress has chosen the next Senate President.

“Of course dapat ma-proclaim muna ‘yung mga bagong senator and dapat maka-upo muna sila (Of course the new senators should be proclaimed first and they should occupy the seats first) to form the new 19th Congress Senate),” Gatchalian said.

Recently, various names floated, like incumbent Senator Cynthia Villar, returning Francis Escudero, and reelectionist Senator Miguel Zubiri, to succeed Sotto.

Incumbent Senator Ronald Dela Rosa recently voiced out his preference for Villar.

“She is the most senior and number one in terms of showing good leadership,” he said during a television interview.

Actor Robin Padilla; returning Loren Legarda, Alan Peter Cayetano, Jinggoy Estrada, and JV Ejercito; broadcast journalist Raffy Tulfo, former Public Works secretary Mark Villar; and reelectionists Joel Villanueva and Risa Hontiveros are the others in the top 12 of the unofficial tally.

Aside from Villar and dela Rosa, they will join Senators Christopher Bong” Go, Sonny Angara, Pia Cayetano, Grace Poe, Nancy Binay, Lito Lapid, Imee Marcos, Koko Pimentel, Bong Revilla, and Francis Tolentino.

If the top 12 won’t change, there will be two sibling tandems (Cayetanos and Ejercito-Estrada) and one mother-son pair (Villars) in the 19th Congress.