MANILA: Amid the lobbying for prime Senate committees for the 16th Congress, senators belonging to the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) yesterday vowed to work as one bloc as they prepare for their role as part of the new Senate minority next month.
The group made the pact during a meeting on Thursday night, which was attended by Vice President Jejomar Binay, acting Senate President Jinggoy Estrada, Senate majority leader Vicente Sotto III, Senator Gregorio Honasan, and Senators-elect Nancy Binay and Jose Victor “JV” Ejercito.
Out of the UNA senatorial slate, only Honasan, Ejercito and Nancy were lucky enough to enter the Magic 12 in the last May elections. Sotto is a member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), but he is allied with resigned Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile, Estrada and Honasan. “We agreed to be a solid bloc and we will welcome any other [senator] who may wish to join [us],” one of the UNA stalwarts said.
Other UNA top leaders were conspicuously absent during the meeting. The Philippine Star
