SEN. Francis Pangilinan has not ruled out Sen. Loren Legarda’s return to the Senate majority bloc, saying she was originally part of a group of five senators that included several members of the chamber’s current majority.
Pangilinan said Legarda belonged to a group composed of Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente Sotto III, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, Sen. Risa Hontiveros and Sen. Lito Lapid.
“She came from that group. As I said, they were originally a solid bloc,” the senator said in a radio interview. “We’ll see whether she will transfer or not.”
Legarda joined the minority bloc led by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano amid changes in Senate leadership.
Her return to the majority came under discussion after Sen. Mark Villar joined the bloc on Oct. 8, replacing Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri in the powerful Commission on Appointments and taking over the Senate Committee on Public Works.
Villar’s move further reshaped the chamber’s political alignments, leaving the minority with 10 members.
Legarda has been on medical leave since Aug. 3 and was reported to be in France for treatment.
Her spokesman, Tony La Viña, has said he would not rule out her returning to the majority, noting that shifts in Senate alliances were common amid changes in leadership.
