Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano of the Nacionalista Party claimed he has 15 senators supporting him for the chamber’s presidency. Sen. Vicente Sotto III, for his part, also claims to have the support of 18 of his colleagues.
Meanwhile, an official of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) said the party would campaign for its president Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III as the next Senate president. The political blocs in the Senate include the Liberal Party composed of Senate President Franklin Drilon, Francis Pangilinan, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, Ralph Recto and Leila de Lima. Incoming senator Joel Villanueva is with the CIBAC party-list but ran under the LP ticket, while Risa Hontiveros is with Akbayan but also ran with the LP. The Nacionalista Party has Cayetano, and Sens. Antonio Trillanes IV and Cynthia Villar. The Nationalist People’s Coalition has Sotto and Loren Legarda and incoming senator Sherwin Gatchalian. Sens. Nancy Binay, Gregorio Honasan and Pacquiao belong to the United Nationalist Alliance. The rest of the senators are either independent or are the lone representatives of their respective political parties.
In the event that none of the aspirants manage to get the minimum 13 votes, Drilon would remain as Senate president.
