"The Senate presidency is not a product that can be passed on from one person to another," Pimentel told the weekly Kapihan sa Sulo media forum in Quezon City. "There has to be voting by the Senate if there will be changes of leadership in the Senate."
Cayetano aspired for the Senate presidency shortly after the 12th Congress in July last year but he agreed to give way to Drilon, who had served as Senate president during the Estrada administration, on the condition that Drilon would give up the post in January.
But Pimentel, who also served as Senate president during the Estrada administration, posed questions on the health of Cayetano, who has only attended a handful of sessions during the Senate’s second regular session since he was hospitalized in July.
Cayetano was hospitalized in July at the Cardinal Santos Memorial Hospital in San Juan ostensibly for a viral infection. He appeared for a few sessions in August although he appeared to be still ill. He has not attended Senate sessions since.
Pimentel also noted that majority Sen. Ramon Revilla has also been frequently ill lately.
But the opposition senator conceded that the minority cannot hope to wrest control of the Senate unless a group within the majority breaks away from the coalition.
"The biggest threat to Drilon’s Senate presidency will come from the majority itself. We, in the minority, can’t aspire to have three additional members. But if a group in the majority will move from Drilon’s turf, then there will be merging," Pimentel said.
While he discounted the possibility that majority senators would bolt to the opposition, Pimentel said he is ready to accept a woman for Senate president, a first in Philippine history.
"They were asking me if we are ready to accept a lady Senate president (and) I said yes. We have two female senators in the minority bloc," he said, referring to Senators Tessie Aquino-Oreta and Luisa Ejercito, the wife of former President Joseph Estrada. The third woman in the Senate is Majority Leader Loren Legarda.
"But we have not reached an agreement yet on whom to field. We can start planning if some majority senators will disengage from Drilon," Pimentel said. - Jose Rodel Clapano