Bongbong endorsing next Senate chief? Imee says it's 'most unlikely, quite improper'

Published May 31, 2022 06:37 PM By HANA BORDEY,GMA News

For Senator Imee Marcos, it would be "most unlikely and quite improper" for President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos to endorse and meddle with the leadership issue in the Senate.

"It's most unlikely and quite improper as you are well aware there's a separation of the three branches of the government," Marcos told reporters when asked about the issue after Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, one of the contenders for the post, said he was asked by the incoming president to sit down with House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez, who is poised to sit as the next speaker, to craft the legislative agenda prior to his first State of the Nation Address.

"Hindi po tayo nanghihimasok sa Executive [Branch]. Ang Executive, hindi dapat pakialaman ang Judiciary and so on and so forth kasi hindi naman s'ya tama," she added.

(We will not interfere with the Executive. The Executive should also not intervene with the Judiciary and so on and so forth because that is not right.)

Zubiri and Senator Cynthia Villar are among the lawmakers who are reportedly vying for the position of the Senate president in the 19th Congress.

Both senators are allies of Bongbong Marcos.

Further, Marcos said the contenders for the post is still unclear as some allies of Zubiri, namely Senator Win Gatchalian and Senators-elect Francis Escudero and Loren Legarda, are also reportedly seeking the Senate's top post.

Despite this, Imee said the “general rule” was to support one’s partymates.

She then mentioned the Hugpong ng Pagbabago bloc in the Senate, apparently referring to Senators Ronald dela Rosa, Bong Go, Francis Tolentino, and Villar.

Nevertheless, 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.

In a separate interview, Dela Rosa said Villar has offered a term-sharing agreement with Zubiri.

So far, Dela Rosa said Villar is having his support and six others members of the 19th Congress namely Marcos, Go, Tolentino, Senator Bong Revilla, Senators-elect Robin Padilla and Mark Villar.—AOL, GMA News
 

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