“I am dark but not a horse.’’

This is how Sen. Franklin M. Drilon reacted to reports that he was the “dark horse’’ in the race for Senate President which has front-runners Senators Manuel Villar and Francis Pangilinan in a stalemate, unable to garner the 13 votes needed.

“I am not surprised that there is a stalemate . . . because of the composition of the Senate,’’ Drilon said.

Pangilinan admitted Monday that he has only 11 votes, two votes shy of 13, the magic number to get the Senate presidency.

Villar ally Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago had earlier said that he has all but wrapped up the race for the top Senate post.

But Senate insiders said that Villar, like Pangilinan, is also facing difficulty in getting the needed votes.

The Liberal Party (LP) has endorsed the bid of Pangilinan for the Senate presidency in place of Drilon who was the Senate President in the 2000, 2001-2004 and 2004-2006 periods.

Drilon is the LP chairman.

The selection of the Senate president begins after the prayer and singing of the national anthem to signal the start of the 15th Congress on July 26.

As the choice for the top Senate post appears to be headed to a stalemate, Drilon blamed the confusion at the Upper House on the 1987 Constitution.

The 1987 Constitution provides for a multi-party system, no longer the two-party system that prevailed before the closure of Congress following the 1972 declaration of martial law.

Aside from the LP and the Nacionalista Party (NP) headed by Pangilinan’s rival, Sen. Manuel Villar, there are other parties in the Senate such as the Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), Nationalist People’ s Coalition (NPC), Lakas, and Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP). There are also independents.

Drilon also echoed the oft-repeated position of legislators such as Senators Edgardo J. Angara and Gregorio Honasan that the Senate, as an institution, is independent.

The Constitution provides that the Executive, Judiciary and Legislative branches are separate but co-equal departments.

Drilon restated the independence of the Senate when told that Malacanang wanted to control the Senate by offering to help detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV get out of one of two criminal cases – rebellion and coup d’etat – in the hope that he might be released and vote for Pangilinan.

On Monday, Drilon said the issue of who should be the presiding officer should be decided in caucus before the opening of the session to avoid lengthy debate if not one of the candidates has the required 13 votes.

“Since there is still no Senate president, then the secretary of the Senate opens the session as in the House of Representatives . . . that is the practice of the House of Representatives and that is the correct procedure. The Secretary only ascends the rostrum to open the session. After the ceremonial prayer and national anthem, the first item in the agenda is the election of the presiding officer who will now be voted upon by those present,’’ he said.