LACSON: OPPOSITION SENATORS
AIMING FOR PRINCIPLE-ORIENTED BLOC

Bidding to assert the independence of the Senate in the 14th Congress, opposition senators are now trying to get their acts together to form a solid majority bloc centered on principles instead of personalities.

Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson said Friday the talks include organizing the Senate from the Senate President down to the committee chairs, doing away with "individual transactions" in the process.

"We are still on the discussion of principles and we are trying to avoid getting stuck with personalities. The bottom line as agreed is giving priority assignment of major committees to opposition or at least non-administration members of the chamber," he said.

But he lamented that some senators have already started "individual transactions" for committee chairmanships with Senate President Manuel Villar Jr.

He said these individual transactions, if left unchecked, threaten to splinter the opposition bloc again, and give Malacañang a chance to sneak in its "appointed" as Senate President.

"What these people don't seem to understand is that we can be very strong as a solid majority group when united. If we splinter there is a chance that Malacañang may sneak in as Senate President their appointed one and not who the opposition wants," he said.

Lacson reiterated that now is the time for the Senate to show its independence, now that majority of its members are allied with the political opposition and can look into irregularities involving the government.

He added that Villar, who also ran under the banner of the Genuine Opposition, is the strongest candidate of the opposition group so far.