By Vanne Elaine Terrazola
Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III on Tuesday told Senator Cynthia Villar not to stick her nose into the affairs of the Partido Demokratiko ng Pilipinas-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) amid the jockeying for Senate committees.
SenatorS Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III and Cynthia Villar (SENATE / MANILA BULLETIN)
"'Wag siya makialam sa party namin. Sa party niya siya mag-concentrate (Villar should not meddle with our party. She should concentrate on her own party)," Pimentel said in a text message.
The PDP-Laban president issued the statement after Villar berated him and Sen. Emmanuel Pacquiao at the sidelines of the session Monday over reports that their partymate, incoming senator Francis Tolentino was pushing her to replace Senate President Vicente Sotto III when the 18th Congress opens in July.
Villar told the ruling party to settle their issue on committee chairmanships and not drag her name into supposed plans to shake up the leadership in the Upper Chamber.
The Nacionalista Party (NP) senator, however, said she was not meddling with the PDP-Laban.
"That’s their problem, I am not interfering," she told reporters when asked about Pimentel's remarks.
Villar had refused to sign the draft resolution expressing the chamber's support for the retention of Sotto's Senate presidency. Thirteen of her colleagues in the majority bloc already signed the draft resolution.
She explained that she was only making sure that her partymates Pia Cayetano and Imee Marcos, both incoming senators, would not be left out with the move. Cayetano and Marcos are also lobbying for their preferred Senate committees.
"I cannot sign because we have two newcomers from NP. I want them to talk to them about the issues bago ako pumirma. Hindi kasi maganda na pipirma ako tapos maiiwan iyong dalawa na bagong papasok sa Senado na NP," she said in an interview after their confrontation.
"That's part of being a member of the party. You don't just take care of yourself. You make sure na ang kapartido mo maayos din. Unfair naman na kayo lang ang maayos, sila hindi sila maayos," she added.
Villar said she will only sign the resolution if the concerns of Cayetano and Marcos were addressed by Sotto.
READ MORE: Villar berates Pacquiao as squabble over committee chairmanships heats up at Senate
SenatorS Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III and Cynthia Villar (SENATE / MANILA BULLETIN)
"'Wag siya makialam sa party namin. Sa party niya siya mag-concentrate (Villar should not meddle with our party. She should concentrate on her own party)," Pimentel said in a text message.
The PDP-Laban president issued the statement after Villar berated him and Sen. Emmanuel Pacquiao at the sidelines of the session Monday over reports that their partymate, incoming senator Francis Tolentino was pushing her to replace Senate President Vicente Sotto III when the 18th Congress opens in July.
Villar told the ruling party to settle their issue on committee chairmanships and not drag her name into supposed plans to shake up the leadership in the Upper Chamber.
The Nacionalista Party (NP) senator, however, said she was not meddling with the PDP-Laban.
"That’s their problem, I am not interfering," she told reporters when asked about Pimentel's remarks.
Villar had refused to sign the draft resolution expressing the chamber's support for the retention of Sotto's Senate presidency. Thirteen of her colleagues in the majority bloc already signed the draft resolution.
She explained that she was only making sure that her partymates Pia Cayetano and Imee Marcos, both incoming senators, would not be left out with the move. Cayetano and Marcos are also lobbying for their preferred Senate committees.
"I cannot sign because we have two newcomers from NP. I want them to talk to them about the issues bago ako pumirma. Hindi kasi maganda na pipirma ako tapos maiiwan iyong dalawa na bagong papasok sa Senado na NP," she said in an interview after their confrontation.
"That's part of being a member of the party. You don't just take care of yourself. You make sure na ang kapartido mo maayos din. Unfair naman na kayo lang ang maayos, sila hindi sila maayos," she added.
Villar said she will only sign the resolution if the concerns of Cayetano and Marcos were addressed by Sotto.
READ MORE: Villar berates Pacquiao as squabble over committee chairmanships heats up at Senate