In 1992, most of the Aquino cabinet secretary|cabinet were drafted for the Senate candidate line-up of the newly created party Lakas Tao. But Drilon opted to help Mrs. Aquino finish her term. He was again given the opportunity to run as a Senatorial candidate of the Lakas-Laban coalition in the 1995 election. He got the fourth highest number of votes in that Senate race. In 1998, he bolted Lakas and joined the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) and supported Joseph Estrada to the presidency. He was selected as Senate Majority Floor Leader the same year. In 1999, he was among who voted in favor on the ratification of the Visiting Forces Agreement. When Marcelo Fernan died of cancer the same year, he made concessions with Blas Ople in sharing the seat of the Senate President. They agreed that Ople will serve as Senate President from 1999-2000 and he would serve from 2000-2001. Ople served his term from July 1999-July 2000. Drilon was installed as Senate President in July 2000.