PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday expressed his support and confidence in the leadership of newly-elected Senate President Francis Escudero and said he is expecting the Senate to continue to prioritize transformative laws to achieve his shared vision for a “Bagong Pilipinas.”
The President took to his official X account his support for Escudero’s leadership.
“I extend my support to the new Senate President, Chiz Escudero. His legislative record and commitment to public service have distinguished him as a dedicated leader,” he said.
He added: “I am confident that under his leadership, the Senate will continue to prioritize transformative laws to achieve our shared vision for a Bagong Pilipinas.”
He likewise commended former Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri for leading the Senate for the past two years.
Zubiri resigned as Senate President on Monday after learning that 15 senators were plotting to oust him allegedly for rejecting the House of Representatives-backed People’s Initiative (PI) and timeline for the approval of Resolution of Both Houses No. 6, or the economic Charter Change bill, and for not stopping the Senate’s investigation on the “PDEA Leaks” linking the President to illegal drug use when he was still a senator in 2012.
“Senator Chiz steps into this role following the commendable tenure of Senator Migz Zubiri,” Marcos said.
After Zubiri’s resignation, several senators also quit their posts and committee chairmanships among them, Senators Joel Villanueva (majority leader), JV Ejercito (deputy majority leader) and Loren Legarda (Senate president pro tempore).
Sen. Nancy Binay also resigned from her post as chairperson of the chamber’s panel on ethics and tourism, while Senator Juan Edgardo Angara also quit his position as chairman of the Senate finance committee and subcommittee on constitutional amendments.
OUSTER PLOT
Escudero yesterday admitted that he initiated the move to remove Zubiri as Senate president but denied that neither Malacañang nor the House of Representatives had a hand on the change of leadership.
He said there were 15 senators who signed a resolution for the leadership change, including Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, who was the last signatory.
Escudero said he started to talk with his colleagues about his plan last Thursday, contrary to what Zubiri said that he got information that senators met last Wednesday.
“When I say sinimulan kong makipag-usap dahil marami naman na at that time na may mga agam-agam (When I say I started talking to them was because may have second thoughts already that time),” Escudero said.
He, however, declined to provide what were the reasons why his allies agreed to remove Zubiri.
He said the final list of senators who agreed with his plan was finalilzed last Sunday.
He said they decided to no longer present the resolution in the plenary since Zubiri has already resigned.
“So, hindi na kailangan ng declaring vacant… wala nang ganoon. Hindi naman seamless pero at least mapayapa at hindi magulo (There’s no need to declare the Senate presidency vacant…That did not happen. The change was not seamless, though, but at least it was orderly, not chaotic),” he added.
Newly-elected Senate president pro tempore Jinggoy Estrada backed Escudero’s statement that Malacañang had no influence in the change of leadership as it was the personal decision of the 15 senators to oust Zubiri.
“They [Malacañang) have nothing to do with the change of leadership here in the Senate…It is just among our colleagues,” Estrada said but declined to give details on why they wanted to remove Zubiri.
He said Escudero called him “three days ago” and wanted to meet with him in person since the latter was interested in becoming the Senate president.
“I asked him a lot of questions and I agreed,” he added.
DELA ROSA
When asked why he signed the resolution, Dela Rosa said he signed because of his long standing agreement with Senators Cristopher Go and Francis Tolentino, who are his party mates at the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino (PDP), that they will always be part of the majority.
In this case, Dela Rosa said Go and Tolentino signed the resolution, which left him no choice but to also sign it.
Dela Rosa said he felt sorry for not being able to convince Go and Tolentino to stick it out with Zubiri.
He said his signature in the resolution did not matter anymore since the “battle had been won” with 14 senators agreeing to oust Zubiri as Senate president.
“I want to stay. Ayoko sana pero may usapan kami na obligadong sumama. Pinirmahan ko ang resolution but that is already immaterial. They already have 14, they have already declared victory (I want to stay [with Zubiri]. I really don’t want [to sign the resolution] but we have an agreement that we are obliged to join. I signed the resolution but that is already immaterial. They already have 14, they have already declared victory),” he said.
Being one of Zubiri’s “trusted lieutenants,” Dela Rosa said he wept when the former Senate leader delivered his valedictory address because “I failed to win the war for you.”
Zubiri said he was “dumbfounded” when he learned that Dela Rosa signed the resolution.
He said he thought “that I have seen strange things in my political career” but the happening last Monday was the “strangest.”
“Kung kahapon po ay ako ay heartbroken, ngayon po ay dumbfounded. Hindi ko ma-gets, hindi ko ma-grasp ang pangyayaring iyon. At least alam niya na dinepensahan ko siya bilang isang chairman ng committee at dahil diyan nagkaroon ng sakripisyo at ako po ang sakripisyo at nawala po ako sa posisyon. Let’s move on. Yun nga lang hindi ko maintindihan.
(Yesterday [Monday] I was heartbroken, but now I am dumbfounded. I just can’t get it, I cannot grasp what happened. At least, he knew that I defended him [Dela Rosa] as chairman of the committee [on public order] and because of that I became a sacrificial lamb. Let’s move on. But I really cannot understand that),” Zubiri said.
“I am in shock. Sige lang, ganon talaga ang politika. I mean, there’s no permanent friends, only permanent interests (I am in shock. But it’s okay. That’s the way politics goes, I mean there’s no permanent friends, only permanent interests),” he added.
He said he even endorsed the re-election of Dela Rosa in front of thousands of people when he celebrated his birthday last month in Bukidnon.
Zubiri earlier said that the ongoing hearings of the Committee on Public Order concerning the “PDEA leaks” was one of the reasons why he was ousted as Senate president.
He said several individuals have requested him to order the committee to stop with its investigation, which zeroed in on President Marcos’ alleged illegal drugs use in 2012.
He said he was “hurt” upon learning that Dela Rosa signed the resolution to oust him.
“Alam mo bilang politician ganon talaga ang buhay. It’s very surreal, parang hindi ko maintindihan, parang nasa twilight zone (That is part of a politician’s life. It’s very surreal, I really cannot understand it, it’s like I’m in a twilight zone),” he said.
When asked if he felt betrayed, he replied: “Let the people decide.”
Zubiri said he was able to talk to Dela Rosa on Tuesday afternoon, but told him to give him more time to “process” what happened last Monday.
“Sinabi ko sa kanya bigyan niya ako ng pagkakaton at hindi ko pa talaga mabigyan ng komento, hindi ko pa ma-process yung pangyayari. Sinabi ko sa kanya give me time. Niyakap mo pa ang asawa ko, di ba? Parang sabi ko wow, bakit mo pa niyakap ang asawa ko?
(I told him to give me more time, I really still cannot make a comment, I still cannot process what happened. I told him to give me time. He even hugged my wife. And I asked myself, why did you need to hug my wife?),” Zubiri said.
Zubiri said the other six senators who supported him decided to be as one bloc in the Senate.
“Hindi pa namin alam kung mananatili kaming independent, we’re still discussing it (We still don’t know if we will remain as independents members of the Senate. We’re still discussing it),” he said, adding that he will just announce their decision after the sine die break.
SENATE COMMITTEES
Escudero said the upper chamber’s leadership will finalize the new committee chairmanships today after six committees were left vacant following the resignation of their heads.
Escudero, in a chance interview in the Senate, said the members of the Senate will discuss who will be named new chairs of the committees vacated by their former heads.
“Discussions naman palagi yan among the entire membership, including the minority. We’re discussing with them, too. Hopefully tomorrow maayos naming (It will always be a discussion among the entire membership, including the minority. We’re discussing with them, too. Hopefully, we can arrange that tomorrow [Wednesday]),” Escudero said.
Escudero said only affected committees will be filled up, adding that some senators have requested to chair specific vacant committees.
“Konti lang naman ang gagalawin… Obviously, in my case, I’m higher education. So, obviously that will be assigned to someone. Pag-uusapan pa lang (We will only fill in a few committees… Obviously, in my case, I am [chairman] of the [committee on] higher education, so obviously that will be assigned to someone),” he said.
During yesterday’s plenary session, Villanueva asked if they are not violating the Senate Rules after Escudero referred proposed bills and resolutions to committees.
Villanueva, the former majority leader, said all committees are deemed vacant following the change in leadership, thus the Senate’s action yesterday could be considered a violation of Senate Rules.
Escudero said the move does not violate the chamber’s Rules.
“Chairmanship usually takes two to three weeks at the start of the new Congress… We can refer even without chairman, anyway, it is just a referral and the committee chairmanships will be arranged,” he said.
In the case of Estrada, who is the chairman of the Committee on Defense, Escudero said he may decide to still preside in the investigation today on the alleged wiretapping of the Chinese Embassy in connection with the “new regulations” in the West Philippine Sea if he still wishes to remain as it panel chairman.
“If he wants to postpone it to give way to whoever the new chairman will be or kung siya (or he still wants to preside) given it’s all out for discussion, it’s up to him,” he said.
CHA-CHA
House majority leader Mannix Dalipe expressed optimism that the election of Escudero as new Senate President will breathe new life to the House of Representatives’ call for constitutional reforms.
“I am optimistic that under Senator Escudero’s guidance, Congress will take positive strides toward achieving the economic constitutional reforms advocated by the President,” Dalipe told a press conference. “His extensive experience and proven commitment are invaluable as we endeavor to enact legislation that will benefit our country and its people.”
Resolution of Both Houses No. 7, the House’s counterpart measure to the Senate’s RBH 6, remains pending in the subcommittee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes.
RBH 7, which seeks to amend the “restrictive” economic provisions of the Constitution, was approved before Congress went on a month-long summer break last March.
Zubiri has said at least eight senators, including Escudero, are against Charter change, making it impossible to meet the 18 votes needed to approve the measure.
Dalipe also emphasized the importance of aligning legislative priorities between the House and the Senate to fulfill the commitments outlined in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).
“We look forward to the relationship of the House and the Senate under the leadership of Senate President Chiz Escudero and Speaker Martin Romualdez na sa tingin ko mas magiging harmonious (which I think will be harmonious). We can work closely together and I think the senators also are very eager to finish the other priority measures agreed upon in the LEDAC,” Dalipe said.
Dalipe expressed confidence that Escudero’s leadership will prioritize economic reforms and foster greater synergy in legislative efforts. “I am very optimistic that with this new leadership in the Senate, Senate President Chiz will be unifying. I am optimistic that he will also push for economic reforms needed in the Constitution,” he said.
He also expects that the new Senate leadership will prioritize amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law.
He emphasized that the House is currently awaiting Senate action on 732 national and local bills, while also noting that the bigger chamber has already passed 56 out of 59 LEDAC priority measures.
Dalipe also addressed insinuations that Zubiri’s ouster may have been orchestrated by some House members because of the Senate’s opposition to the Cha-cha campaign.
Zubiri has said he felt that a plan to remove him was first hatched when the Senate opposed the House-backed People’s Initiative (PI) to amend the Constitution. He said the plan may have gained steam when he did not agree with the proposed timelines for the Cha-cha proceedings.
“In any house, whether it is the House of Representatives or the Senate, it is a numbers game, and that numbers game is based on trust and confidence,” Dalipe said. “Maybe he (Zubiri) felt that from the Senate because that’s where his colleagues are at. They are the ones talking about that, and whatever decision they have would start from there.”
“So, if he felt that there were changes, these changes were within the Senate because, at the end of the day, the House will make its decision. The Senate will have their decision, which resulted [in] a leadership change yesterday, which is separate from their action. It is really separate, independent from what we think here,” he added.
The social advocacy arm of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) called on Escudero to be open to dialogues with everyone much like Zubiri.
In a radio interview, CBCP – Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Justice, and Peace (NASSA-JP) chairman Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo said they are hopeful that Escudero will be open to different opinions of various sectors.
“We pray that Senate President Escudero will have an open heart and mind on the concerns of the people,” said Bagaforo.
He said one issue that requires his openness is the proposed amendment of the 1987 Constitution.
“Do not touch our Constitution at present. As much as possible, we would like to protect our present Constitution, which is pro-God. This must not be changed,” said Bagaforo. — With Raymond Africa, Wendell Vigilia and Gerard Naval
