“We’re still together in the independent bloc”
That was the assurance of Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV on Wednesday, July 9, to reports that he and Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan had abandoned Senator Risa Hontiveros to join the majority bloc led by Senate President Francis Escudero.
“But right now we’re finalizing committees and as I’ve said before, the education crisis in our country needs to be addressed, so it’s important what committee we get,” Aquino said in an ambush interview in Bacolod.
“But definitely, our stand on many, many issues, we are all still very together on that…we are an independent group, but with regard to the committees we’re still finalizing that, and we might end up in different places also because of the committees,” he said.
On whether they will support Escudero for Senate President, Aquino said, “We’re still finalizing that.”
He said “what people are misunderstanding is that the choice for majority and minority equates to the impeachment (trial of Vice President Sara Duterte).”
Aquino said, “These are two separate issues. Many of us want to see the trial continue, many of us want to see that we follow the Constitution as an institution.”
It will be seen in the following weeks that positions will differ on the impeachment, whatever the majority and minority will be, he said.
Pangilinan, in an interview in Bacolod on June 28, said, “We will read all the pertinent documents on the impeachment and prepare.”
Asked if he will be an administration or opposition senator, he said, “My priority is to get the (Senate) Committee on Agriculture because that is what we promised our voters, so we will see.”
“In my case, whoever will be the Senate President, my priority is reforms in the agriculture sector. I would be in the best position to do that if I am chairman of the Committee on Agriculture,” Pangilinan said.*