LP senators will not bolt from ‘Super Coalition’

Senate President ProTempore Franklin Drilon yesterday said senators allied with the Liberal Party (LP) have no plans to bolt out of the Senate majority bloc despite their opposition to a lot of issues and policies of the Duterte administration.

“We were elected by the majority. We were part of the majority that voted for (Senate President) Koko (Pimentel),” Drilon told reporters in an interview before the start of the Senate’s plenary session.

Drilon made the remark a day after he figured in a verbal tussle with senators Richard Gordon and Juan Miguel Zubiri — both perceived close allies of President Duterte.

Both senators had opposed the referral of a Senate resolution he filed to a certain committee he preferred. As author of the resolution, Drilon sought an inquiry into the possible reorganization of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) which was racked by a 150-million bribery scandal.

But the two senators opposed its referral to the Civil Service Committee, chaired by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, and wanted it referred to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee which Gordon chairs.

Despite the actuations of Duterte’s allies in the Senate, Drilon said the group sees no reason for them to withdraw alliances with the so-called “Super Coalition” led by Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.

“We find no reason. We will stay where we are,” Drilon said, adding he finds the incident “not surprising.”

“We have been in the Senate long enough. That’s just one incident where we filed a resolution. It was referred by the secretariat on the committee of Sen. Trillanes, because it called for a possible reorganization of the Bureau of Immigration (BI),” the senator added.

“Nothing surprises me these days,” he stressed.

Asked if he believes the move to block the referral to Trillanes committee was orchestrated, Drilon said: “I will leave it to that. You judge it by yourself.”