Palace denies wanting Enrile ousted

MALACANANG on Thursday denied supporting moves to unseat Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, saying it maintains a "healthy" relationship with the senior lawmaker.

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the Palace should not be dragged into the issue since Enrile himself made clear that the Liberal Party (LP) is not part of the supposed ouster plot.

"The Senate President himself mentioned that the Liberal Party is not involved. We have no (hand) or at least the Palace," Lacierda said.

"We have a good working relationship with the Senate President, as far as we know. So we have no comment other than what the Senate President has already mentioned," he added.

On Wednesday, Enrile confirmed that he received information about the plan to unseat him as Senate President, saying that some of his colleagues are "unhappy" with his leadership.

He said he got the information from a "reliable" source a month ago.

Enrile clarified that LP and the Nacionalista Party of Senator Manny Villar are not behind the plot as the motive appears to be "personal."

The Senate President also dismissed that his position against the controversial Reproductive Health bill, which Malacanang allies support, is the reason behind the ouster moves.

Lacierda said the Palace still considers Enrile as an effective ally in pushing for the President's legislative agenda.

"Well, in the most part, except for the sin tax. So we're hoping that the sin tax and the RH would be resolved as soon as possible," he said.

Lacierda also absolved Senator Franklin Drilon, a member of the LP, on the coup plot against Enrile.

"Senator Frank Drilon has also mentioned that he’s not aware of any such plans," he said.

Drilon previously held the Senate President post from 2001 to 2006. (Jill Beltran/Sunnex)