• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
As he expressed appreciation to Negrenses for his return to the Senate, Senator-elect Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan assured Negrenses of his help, especially when it comes to the agricultural sector.
Pangilinan, who ran as an independent, ranked 5th in the Senate race, garnering a total of 590,475 votes from Negros Occidental.
“The Negrenses carried me to victory,” the returning senator said.
Thanking Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson for his support during the campaign period for the May 12 elections, Pangilinan said he would like to know the governor’s advocacies, in order to provide support he needs.
“We will work with him. I know we can work with him through the Senate,” he added.
Pangilinan said he is hoping to get the chairmanship of the Senate committee on Agriculture, once the 20th Congress starts on July 28.
“That’s what I promised our voters,” he said.
Pangilinan, however, remained tight-lipped on whether he will support incumbent Senate President Francis Escudero.
“In my case, whoever is the Senate president, my interest is in reforms in the agricultural sector. And I would be in the best position to do that by being the chairman of the Committee on Agriculture,” Pangilinan said.*
