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Analyst Heydarian's take on composition of Senate in 18th Congress

With most of the Top 12 senatorial bets in the partial and unofficial results of the May 2019 elections allied with the administration, what would the incoming Senate in the 18th Congress look like?

According to GMA News' residential analyst Richard Heydarian, there may not be any change in six months or a year in the posts of Senate president and majority leader.

However, over time, other top performers such as Senator Cynthia Villar, who is currently leading the Senate race, and Senator Sonny Angara who are both on the slate of administration-backed Hugpong ng Pagbabago may be given top positions, he said in an interview on GMA News' Unang Balita on Tuesday.

The entry of former Special Assistant to the President Christopher "Bong" Go into the Senate is a big thing as he can serve as liaison between Malacañang and the Senate, he added.

Coordination will be smoother and it would be easier for the executive branch to push for its legislative agenda, Heydarian said.

However, Go's presence in the Senate poses a question regarding checks and balances and separation of powers of the branches of government.

Partial and unofficial results from the Comelec Transparency Server show Go in the third place in the Senate race as of 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Heydarian also said he is optimistic that even if there are only four opposition senators left, the Senate will still be able to preserve its independence.

Watch the entire interview for the full analysis. —KG, GMA News