President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has asked Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and House Majority Floor Leader Martin Romualdez to “sit down” and discuss the possible legislative agenda that he would include in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July.
“He (Marcos) instructed me and incoming Speaker Martin Romualdez to sit down and discuss possible legislative agenda for the SONA, discussions for the SONA,” Zubiri told reporters.
Zubiri assured Marcos that whether or not he gets the Senate presidency, he would cooperate with the new administration.
“And we promised to him and I told him that ‘Boss, whether or not I become Senate President, I will help. So we’ll have a series of meetings. We will be discussing how we will assist the president-elect on his legislative agenda for the 19th Congress,” the senator added.
This early, the contest for the Senate presidency appeared to be a toss-up between Zubiri and Sen. Cynthia Villar.
But for the elder sister of the President-elect, Sen. Imee Marcos, it is “most unlikely” for her brother to make an endorsement.
“It’s most unlikely and quite improper as you are well aware there’s a separation of the three branches of the government,” she said.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian and Senators-elect Francis Escudero and Loren Legarda are also reportedly seeking the Senate’s top post.
For his part, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said the race for the Senate presidency is still very “fluid.”
“In my view, it is very fluid…There are no 13 senators at this point who have made firm commitments on the Senate presidency,” Drilon said.
Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, however, claimed eight senators, majority of them allies of President Rodrigo Duterte, would back Villar.
Dela Rosa also revealed that Villar had offered Zubiri a possible term-sharing arrangement.
Nevertheless, Sen. Imee stressed the need for a “supermajority” in the Senate which will unite to address the problems that the country is facing.
“I think at all costs we need to have a supermajority. Our country faces, with the world, a very challenging future. We need to be together,” she said.