Drilon expects Villar signatories to reach 14 to 15 senators - Malaya 06/16/2007 (original manuscript)

joint presscon announcing Villar's anointment was key (senate source)

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Dennis Gadil/for June 17, 2006

Out-going Senate President Franklin Drilon is confident that his successor, Sen. Manny Villar, would be swept into the Senate presidency come July by an overwhelming majority vote.

A Senate source yesterday said Drilon predicts that Villar will get more than the required 13 votes of the 23-man Senate.

"It could be between 14 to 15 votes," the Senate source familiar to the on-going Drilon-Villar transition said.

The source said Drilon's gamble to name Villar as his successor ahead of the July 24 re-opening of the third and last session of Congress "has paid off."

"Drilon will not put his name at stake if he was not sure that Villar will get the numbers," the source said.

The source added: "The announcement was a master stroke."

The source said Villar was initially hesitant in making the announcement but Drilon was the one who insisted.

Drilon, chair of the Liberal Party (LP), also got moral boost from his fellow LP partymates who were present during the announcement.

"The LP influence was also a key," he said.

Drilon, after a leak by Sen. Juan Flavier, called a joint press conference on the last session day to announce that he was anointing Villar as his successor.

Drilon also said the majority coalition under him would rally behind Villar.

Before his announcement, an estimated nine senators have so far signed the resolution endorsing Villar as Drilon's successor. Pursuant to tradition, a candidate for the top Senate post must get at least 13 votes through a Senate resolution, which would be approved in the plenary.

The source nevertheless said the numbers firmed up after the joint press conference attended by Villar.

"The presscon was a turning point for the undecideds," the source said.

"Drilon made true his commitment to provide the numbers. And he did this with a lone presscon," the source added.

The source said Drilon and Villar, however, are standing with their commitment not the divulge the names of those who already signed the resolution.

He said the names of the signatories would be divulged on the day of the state of the nation address (SONA) of President Arroyo.

Among those earlier speculated to join the Villar bandwagon were the mother-and-son tandem of Sens. Loi and Jinggoy Ejercito-Estrada.

Jinggoy said they have yet to confer with his father, former president Joseph Estrada, who's currently undergoing plunder trial before the Sandiganbayan. Villar, who was House Speaker, was a key player in the impeachment of Estrada by the lower house in 2001.

Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile apparently said that he would only sign if Villar has already 12 signatures, according to Flavier, who brokered the term-sharing deal in 2004.

The source nevertheless said the "sack of pussycats" contains a mixture of Villar supporters, most of whom are Drilon loyalists, and opposition figures.

The Senate source said the final list of signatories could still churn out "surprised" names, "who have initially declared that they won't go for Villar."

Under a term-sharing deal, Drilon was to serve from 2004 to 2006 while Villar takes-over the remainder term on July up to 2007.

Drilon is on his last term as senator while Villar is up for re-election next year.

On Thursday, Sen. Serge Osmena, who is not voting for Villar, said he does not expect Villar effecting a major realignments in the committee leadership.

Osmena said he expects to keep his present committee chairmanship while Majority Leader Kiko Pangilinan and Senate president pro-tempore Juan Flavier will also keep their post.

Osmena will remain a minority member under Minority Leader Nene Pimentel.

Flavier has earlier said that Drilon might be offered with the chairmanship of the Senate committee on finance, which is currently held by Villar.