The Senate elected on Monday Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile as the new Senate president in a bloodless coup against the leadership of Sen. Manuel Villar Jr.
The vote was 14-0 with six abstentions. Enrile, who had been pictured as an administration ally, ascended to the top Senate post with the help of oppositionist Senators Panfilo Lacson, Manuel “Mar” Roxas 2nd, Loren Legarda and Jamby Madrigal.
Villar resigned before the voting took place.
MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) Vowing to take the fight outside the country’s financial district, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay announced his bid for the presidency on Tuesday as he marked his 66th birthday in city hall.
More than 2,000 supporters from the city and the provinces carrying streamers like “Obama of the Philippines” and “Jojo Binay for President” gathered at 7 a.m. for a Thanksgiving Mass as they waited for the mayor to make the declaration.
In his speech, Binay, who is also the United Opposition president, criticized the Arroyo government by bringing up issues like the national broadband network scandal and the fertilizer fund scam and said there was need for another “revolution.”
DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines – Senate President Manuel Villar Jr. is 99 percent sure he is joining the 2010 presidential race.
The one percent, he said, is on the possibility of no election.
All that he is waiting is the nomination of the Nacionalista Party (NP), which he heads.
AS the political storm brought about by allegations of massive corruption continues to slam President Arroyo, Vice President Noli de Castro stays by her side to provide her the option of a graceful exit by resignation, an adviser to De Castro told a member of the opposition.
The source said the expectation of De Castro, as relayed by his advisers who have started talking with different opposition groups like the United Opposition, Makati Business Club, and the Black and White Movement, the end of the Arroyo presidency is a matter of time and he (De Castro) expects to take over as the Constitution mandates.
“De Castro expects the presidency to fall into his lap like manna from heaven,” the source said expressing the frustration of many in the opposition over De Castro’s refusal to take a position on the issues of corruption and obstruction of justice that stemmed from the exposé on the alleged overpriced $329-million national broadband network deal with the Chinese firm ZTE Corp.
