Senators-elect, incumbents hold caucus at Pacquiao home; Villar skips meeting

Senator Cynthia Villar was not around when Senate President Vicente Sotto III met with newly-elected and incumbent senators on Wednesday night at the residence of Senator Manny Pacquiao in Makati City.

The videos, provided by Pacquiao's camp, showed Sotto meeting with May 2019 Senate race winners Bong Go, former Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs Francis Tolentino, former Philippine National Police Chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, former Senator Bong Revilla, Jr., former Senator Lito Lapid, and outgoing Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos, as well as Senators Sonny Angara and Nancy Binay.

Other incumbent senators present in the meeting were Miguel Zubiri, Ralph Recto, Joel Villanueva, outgoing Senator Gregorio Honasan, and Sherwin Gatchalian.

Senators Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Richard Gordon said as of this posting that they were on their way to the meeting.

Senator Grace Poe also came later in the evening.

Outgoing Senator JV Ejercito and reelectionist Senator  Pia Cayetano were not around.

Sotto likely to remain Senate President

At the end of the meeting, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri confidently declared that Sotto has secured the support of majority of the members and will keep the Senate President post.

Asked if those who attended the meeting at Pacquiao's house committed to Sotto's presidency, Zubiri said, "Yes, it's SP Sotto pa rin."

Zubiri also said he will likely retain his post as Majority Leader, while Recto will remain Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto.

Pacquiao as host

Pacquiao hosted the dinner meeting but it was Sotto who sent out invitation for the caucus.

The meeting happened two days after Villar apparently berated Pacquiao in the Senate session as Pacquiao was gathering signatures for a Senate resolution expressing support for another term for Sotto as Senate President.

Villar was seemingly annoyed with Pacquiao's gesture and was heard telling Pacquiao to talk to his party-mates in PDP-Laban in seeking support for Sotto's leadership first rather than pitting senators against each other by orchestrating a signature campaign.

Of the incoming senators in the 18th Congress, six are from ruling party PDP-Laban chaired by President Rodrigo Duterte: Go, Tolentino, Dela Rosa, Pacquiao, Zubiri, and PDP-Laban president Pimentel.

Senators Villar, Recto, Marcos, and Pia Cayetano belong to the Nacionalista Party, while Sotto is from Nationalist People's Coalition. Angara hails from the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, while Revilla and Lapid are from the Lakas-CMD.

Binay is from the United Nationalist Alliance, while Villanueva is affiliated with the Citizens Battle Against Corruption party-list.

Of the eight May 2019 Senate race winners present in the meeting, only Binay did not run under the Duterte administration slate Hugpong ng Pagbabago.

Overall, there are 13 senators of the 18th Congress or more than half of the 24-strong Senate chamber present in Wednesday's meeting, including Sotto. — MDM/NB, GMA News