Senate transition depends on Cayetano’s health

The transition of the Senate leadership from Senate President Franklin Drilon to Sen. Renato Cayetano depends on the latter’s health by yearend, Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr. said yesterday.

Cayetano was still resting in an undisclosed place yesterday but his son, Taguig-Pateros Rep. Allan Cayetano, said his father would have fully recovered in January when the transition is supposed to take place.

Drilon had stressed that he would abide by his commitment to Cayetano, made when the latter withdrew from the race for the Senate presidency before the start of the First Regular Session in 2001.

Magsaysay, who had previously said he would support the implementation of the agreement, said everything now depends on the health of Cayetano. Cayetano was rushed to hospital in June, where he was diagnosed to be suffering from a viral infection and advised to take a rest.

Despite the commitment of Drilon, Cayetano still has to be voted upon by 13 senators in a plenary session before he could succeed Drilon.

Sen. Joker Arroyo said that all members of the majority except he had signed a petition endorsing the Drilon-Cayetano agreement on the change of leadership.

"I am a lawyer and I know that such an agreement on a public office is illegal, so I could not sign it," Arroyo said.

Arroyo must vote for Cayetano for the latter to become Senate president as there are only 13 majority members in the chamber.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Loren Legarda denied yesterday reports that she was interested in becoming Senate president.

"I want to be President of the Philippines but not Senate president," she joked.

She said that her meeting with President Arroyo, probably this week, was arranged at the instance of Malacañang so it was not true that she was seeking Malacañang’s help in her bid for the Senate presidency.

"I was not asking for the meeting. In fact, I do not know the agenda of our proposed meeting," Legarda added.

She stressed that she is happy being the majority leader even if it is a difficult post.

"Senate President Drilon will continue to be Senate president until December and will honor his commitment to Senator Cayetano as previously discussed and planned," she affirmed. – Efren Danao