‘Villar can be prime minister’

Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. can become prime minister (PM) if the nation shifts to the parliamentary system, House Majority Leader Prospero Nograles said yesterday.

At the same time, Nograles said the incoming Senate president could hold the key to breaking the Senate-House deadlock on Charter change (Cha-cha) and President Arroyo’s proposed P1.053-trillion 2006 budget.

He said Villar could be a formidable candidate if he decides to challenge Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. for the PM post.

The "ball is in the air" as far as the top post under the parliamentary form of government is concerned, he said.

He added that other senators, including Senate President Franklin Drilon and Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., could join the race for prime minister.

At least one other congressman, Jacinto Paras of Negros Oriental, is rooting for Villar for the PM post. Paras has deserted the opposition bloc in the House because he does not agree with its stand that Charter change (Cha-cha) cannot be railroaded by congressmen simply by getting a three-fourths vote of all House members to approve Cha-cha even without the participation or vote of the Senate.

It is widely believed that Villar is casting a moist eye on the presidency. It is thus not far-fetched for him to decide to run for prime minister if the nation shifts to the parliamentary system.

As for the incoming Senate head’s holding the key to the Cha-cha and budget deadlock, Nograles said he and other members of the House hope that the mood in the Senate on Charter change and the budget would change once Villar, who is by and large an administration ally, assumes the chamber’s leadership next month.

The possibility that the incoming Senate president could strike a deal with Mrs. Arroyo and her House allies on Cha-cha has prompted some of his colleagues to rethink their support for him.

Mrs. Arroyo and her House allies have been actively campaigning for the abolition of the Senate. Over the weekend, Malacañang officials said with its opposition to the 2006 budget as proposed by the President, it is now time to abolish the Senate through Cha-cha.

Senators have cut the proposed budget by P64 billion to reduce the projected P125 billion budget deficit this year by half. The huge reduction includes P8 billion in new appropriations for projects labeled as Kilos Asenso and Kalayaan Barangay. Senators suspect the new appropriations would bloat the President’s pork barrel and could be used for Cha-cha.

The Senate-House conference on the budget collapsed last Monday. The Senate insisted on the budget cuts, while the House echoed Mrs. Arroyo’s all-or-nothing stand on her budget proposal. The President has threatened to reject a reduced budget.

The two chambers are also deadlocked on Cha-cha. Senators want that any amendment to the Constitution should be approved by the Senate and the House voting separately, with each chamber mustering a vote of three-fourths of all its members.

On the other hand, congressmen are insisting on their assertion that the two chambers should vote as one. They claim that they can do Cha-cha all by themselves provided that they have the votes of three-fourths, or 195, of House members. As of the last count, they had 173, 22 votes shy of their target.

Senators are offering to consider amendments to the economic provisions of the Constitution, but Malacañang and congressmen, like in the budget impasse, responded with an all-or-nothing stand, which means that they are bent on abolishing the Senate.