MANILA — Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, poised to be the next Senate President, reiterated on Wednesday his push for a "supermajority" and denied it would rush the priority bills of the incoming Marcos administration.

"A united Senate is a productive one, so from the very beginning I've always wanted to form a supermajority in the Senate," Zubiri said in a speech.

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Zubiri's bid for the Senate presidency came closer to reality after rival Sen. Cynthia Villar dropped out of the race earlier in the day.

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"Nagpapasalamat po kami kay ma'am Cynthia sa tulong niya sa pagbibigay nitong supermajority," Zubiri said.

(I thank ma'am Cynthia for her help in providing this supermajority.)

Zubiri also rejected observation that having a supermajority meant being "subservient" to the demands of the executive.

"Ang supermajority na binabanggit ko ay hindi para mag-railroad ng mga panukala ng Malacañang. Ang supermajority ay para lang mapabilis ang trabaho natin dito sa mga panukalang maganda para sa bayan," Zubiri said.

(The supermajority I am talking about is not meant to railroad the proposals of Malacañang. The supermajority just aims to speed up our work on bills that are good for the country.)

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Under his leadership, Zubiri said he would promote the independence of the Senate.

"You have never seen me stop or stifle or prevent my colleagues from speaking up... Puwede namang within the majority may dissenting opinion," he said.

(It's possible to have dissenting opinion within the majority.)

Opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros earlier said she and Sen. Koko Pimentel were in talks on who between them should lead the Senate minority bloc, which could possibly have "at least 3" members.

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Hontiveros also said they were open to having siblings Pia and Alan Peter Cayetano in their bloc.

But Zubiri said his group was also courting the Cayetanos to join the supermajority.

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Zubiri listed the following possible assignments of Senate committee chairmanships in the 19th Congress.

• Senate President Pro Tempore - Sen. Loren Legarda
• Basic Education, Ways and Means - Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian
• Tourism, Accounts - Sen. Nancy Binay
• Finance - Sen. Sonny Angara
• Justice - Sen. Chiz Escudero
• Agriculture, Environment - Sen. Cynthia Villar
• Blue Ribbon - Sen. Francis Tolentino
• Constitutional Amendments, Social Justice - Sen. Robin Padilla
• Health, Sports - Sen. Bong Go
• Women and Children - Sen. Risa Hontiveros
• Foreign Relations - Sen. Imee Marcos

When asked if he was sure that he would be the next Senate President, Zubiri said: "Siguro naman. Hindi pa ko nakaupo nakudeta na ko?"

(Perhaps. Will I face a coup even before I'm seated?)