Lacson not interested in becoming Senate president

MANILA, Philippines – “Count me out.”

This is what returning Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said on Thursday following the report he is on the list of prospective Senate president of presumptive President Rodrigo Duterte to replace incumbent Senate President Franklin Drilon.

Lacson said the Senate presidency is a compromising position which he won’t fit in.

Sen. Sonny Angara, who was elected in 2013, mentioned Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel and Alan Peter Peter Cayetano as other possible contenders for the post.

“I’m quite sure Senators Koko and Alan will have major roles in the coming Senate since both are senior legislators and both have the trust and confidence of the president (Duterte),” Angara said in a state news reports.

Cayetano is Duterte’s running mate while Pimentel is the president of the Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban sa Bayan (PDP-Laban), which designated Duterte as the party’s standard bearer.

“I don’t know about the LP (Liberal Party) but in terms of numbers they still have around six or seven and as such would play a role in the Senate leadership race,” Angara said.

LP senatorial candidates who made it to the magic 12, as of this writing, include Drilon, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Joel Villanueva, Risa Hontiveros, Ralph Recto and Leila de Lima.

Reelectionist Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, meanwhile, refused to comment when asked about the Senate presidency.

“We are still weighing our options,” said Sotto, who supported Sen. Grace Poe in her presidential bid.

Poe, who already conceded to Duterte, and her running mate Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero still have three years left in their term as senators.