Solid 8 - Disarray!

Sen. Francis Escudero said on Thursday that the refusal of the members of the “Solid 8” opposition senators to support Senate President Manuel Villar is the main reason the opposition in the Senate is deeply divided.

In a roundtable with Manila Times editors, columnists and reporters, Escudero said the opposition could have immediately united on their very first caucus had some senators not insisted on fielding Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. against Villar.

“If you are interested in unifying the opposition, give the Senate presidency to Villar. We invited the Most Valuable Player to our team and after he accepted, we try to replace him? That is not just right!” Escudero remembered telling his opposition colleagues on why they should all rally behind Villar.

He pointed out that it was former President Joseph Estrada who convinced Villar to join the opposition ticket, the reason why Estrada is fully supporting Villar.

The former president’s son, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, was among 15 senators, including nine from the administration, who voted for Villar. The younger Estrada is now the Villar’s second in command as Senate President Pro-Tempore.

Pimentel’s seven votes came from the “Solid 8.” Sen. Antonio Trillanes 4th, the eighth member of the bloc, was still detained and was unable to vote.

Escudero said the “Solid 8” did not want Villar to be elected by acclamation, and some even questioned his being an oppositionist.

“Some said they want a level playing field for all presidential contenders and proposed that they hold secret balloting among themselves to determine who between Villar and Pimentel should be their common candidate for Senate President.

The perceived presidential aspirants in the “Solid 8” are Senators Loren Legarda, Panfilo Lacson and Mar Roxas.

Escudero recalled that they were only 10 then so he proposed that they wait until they get the majority before they could hold secret voting.

They invited Senators Francis Pangilinan and Pia Cayetano but the two refused because they had already committed to Villar.

Escudero said Lacson told him lately that the “Solid 8” bloc was willing to support Villar so they could form the majority but that the offer came too late.

“Senator Villar had already made commitments to administration senators,” he said.

The “Solid 8” that now make up the Senate’s minority is composed of Senators Rodolfo Biazon, Benigno Aquino 3rd, Jamby Madrigal, Pimentel, Legarda, Roxas, Lacson and Trillanes.

The three opposition senators in the majority with nine administration senators are Alan Peter Cayetano, Estrada and Escudero.

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