MANILA, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Philippine Senator Juan Ponce Enrile was elected Senate President at the opening of the 15th Congress Monday.

The reelectionist Senator was elected by 17 out of total 23 Senators sitting in the upper house. The 86-year old lawmaker secured the support of most Senators over the weekend as the candidates of the ruling Liberal Party and the Nacionalista Party failed to get the 13 votes needed to win the Senate presidency.

This is the second time that Enrile is heading the upper chamber.

In a speech delivered shortly after his election to the post, Enrile thanked his colleagues and praised them for their decision to set aside partisan politics in favor of "a singular act of unity."

"You and I will hold the integrity of the Senate," he said.

Enrile ran under the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP -Force of the Filipino Masses), the party of the former President Joseph Estrada who placed second in the May Presidential elections. Estrada's running mate, Jejomar Binay, won as Vice President.

Estrada's son, Senator Jose "Jinggoy" Ejercito Estrada, was also elected Monday as Senate President Pro Tempore.