Pimentel willing to vacate Senate presidency at earlier time

Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said he is willing to vacate his post in the Upper Chamber, despite noting that matters have yet to be finalized with his colleagues in the majority.

A draft resolution which leaked Thursday bared that 14 majority senators have already expressed support for a leadership change in the Senate and elect Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III as the next Senate President to replace Pimentel.

“Bukas po tayo d’yan sa kahit na anong reorganization ng Senado. We are very open to that. Pero nag-set kami ng majority caucus ngayong Lunes para klaruhin po namin yang issues na yan: kailan ba namin gagawin; ano ba ang sentimiento ng majority sa Senado. Kasi kasama pa rin naman ako sa majority (We are open to any reorganization in the Senate. We are very open to that. But we have set a moajoroty caucus on Monday to clarify issues: when will we do it, what is the sentiment of the majority members of the Senate. Since I am still a memebr of the majority),” Pimentel said in a television interview Friday.

News on the change of leadership in the Senate has been floated as early as the beginning of the 17th Congress, with Sotto emerging as Pimentel’s possible replacement when he runs for reelection in the 2019 polls. The two Senate leaders had long been candid about discussing their term-sharing.

But prior to the release of the draft resolution Thursday, Pimentel has been denying that the reported change in Senate leadership will happen anytime soon since majority senators have yet to meet on the subject.

Senator JV Ejercito, one of the signatories of the draft resolution, said the change in leadership is “inevitable,” but maintained that they are leaving it to the two Senate leaders to settle the matter.

Sen. Nancy Binay, for her part, said she signed the draft report to avoid the “politicizing” of the Upper Chamber when Pimentel campaigns for reelection