Sen. Edgardo Angara Wednesday said he is confident that the seat of the Senate President will not be vacant when Congress opens on Monday, July 26.

Angara, however, remained mum over his group’s decision even when he had earlier said that his bloc would reveal on Wednesday who between the two main contenders - Sen. Manuel Villar, Jr. and Francis Pangilinan - they would support for the position.

But the former Senate president himself said is certain that the matter would be resolved when senators convene in a caucus before Monday, emphasizing that the “Senate is a sacred institution whose leadership cannot be left empty.”

“The opening of the joint session on Monday is a ceremonial duty of the senate president, whether it is the incumbent Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile or the newly elected Senate President,” Angara said.

“Senator Enrile himself has a very high regard of the Senate as an institution, and he himself would not want to see the position empty when Congress opens,” he clarified.

But the issue of a new Senate head is also separate from the question of who will be the presiding officer over the opening of the 15th Congress.

Enrile had earlier maintained he would not sit as a presiding officer at the joint opening should the Senate fail to elect a new leader.

But Angara refuted, saying Enrile is “the ideal” person to grace Monday’s opening as all members of the Senate has a consensus of his leadership.

Angara had said the presence of Enrile during President Benigno Aquino III’s State of the Nation Address is significant because it symbolizes the Senate’s acquiescence to the administration’s programs and policies.

“It is a matter of symbolism for this case. Symbolism is very important, especially because we are opening Congress under a new government. We are careful not to create a false impression that there is no cooperation in the Senate because that is not the case,” Angara said.

Angara further assured that he and his colleagues in the Senate are “in full cooperation" on deciding the next leader. They have also vowed to cooperate with each other when the new Senate President has been declared.

His bloc, composed of senators Juan Miguel Zubiri, Loren Legarda, Manuel Lapid Jr. Vicente Sotto III, and Gregorio Honasan, is said to have the power to influence the outcome of the Senate presidential race.

Angara said it would be “very embarrassing” for the Senate as an institution if it fails to unite and elect its next leader. “It will be very embarrassing for us as an institution if it appears that amongst ourselves there is no cooperation — even in the most mundane ‘housekeeping chore’ in the Senate for us,” he said.

“This is why, if there is no decision by July 25 on our next leader, we will all meet in the morning of Monday before the opening of the joint session. We will not even argue or put up a debate; we will just agree on a consensus,” added Angara.