THE House of Representatives on Tuesday night elected leaders of several key committees, including the powerful appropriations committee, which will now be chaired by Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing and the ways and means panel, now led by Marikina City Rep. Miro Quimbo.
Suansing will be assisted by Bataan Rep. Albert Garcia, who was elected senior vice chair of the appropriations panel, which reviews Malacañang’s proposed annual national budget.
The House is set to begin marathon deliberations on the Executive’s proposed P6.793 trillion national budget for 2026, which is expected to be submitted by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) next week.
Manila Rep. Ernesto Dionisio Jr. was elected senior vice chair of the ways and means panel, which handles tax and revenue bills.
The House also revived the Quad Committee, which is composed of the Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights, and Public Accounts.
Bukidnon Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores was elected chair of the dangerous drugs panel; Manila Rep. Rolando Valeriano, the public order and safety panel; and Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. was retained as chair of the human rights panel.
The House has yet to elect a new chairperson of the Committee on Public Accounts.
The mega committee hogged the limelight in the previous 19th Congress for its lengthy investigation into the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs and its links to Chinese-run Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
The House elected Davao de Oro Rep. Maria Carmen Zamora as chairwoman of the Committee on Accounts; retained Manila Rep. Joel Chua as chair of the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability; and installed Cagayan de Oro Rep. Lordan Suan as head of the Committee on Public Information.
Yesterday, the House elected Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, who is a member of the House’s 11-man prosecution panel in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, as chairperson of the Committee on Justice.
Also elected Wednesday are the following as chairmen: Quezon Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga of the Committee on Agriculture and Food; Camarines Sur Rep. Tsuyoshi Anthony Horibata, Aquaculture and Fisheries Resources; Manila Rep. Irwin Tieng, Banks and Financial Intermediaries), Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo, Basic Education and Culture); Bukidnon Rep. Laarni Lavin Roque, Civil Service and Professional Regulation); Cavite Rep. Aniela Bianca Tolentino, Climate Change; Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, Constitutional Amendments); COOP NATCCO party-list Rep. Felimon Espares, Cooperatives Development); Antique Rep. Antonio Legarda Jr., Economic Affairs); Palawan Rep. Jose Alvarez, Energy; Pangasinan Rep. Maria Rachel Arenas, Foreign affairs; Cavite Rep. Antonio Ferrer, Games and Amusement; Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre, Higher and Technical Education; and Quezon City Rep. Ma. Victoria Co-Pilar, Housing.
Also elected as chairmen were Camarines Sur Rep. Miguel Luis Villafuerte, Committee on Information and Communications Technology; Pangasinan Rep. Ma. Georgina de Venecia, Inter-parliamentary Relations and Diplomacy; Cavite Rep. Ramon Jolo Revilla Jr., Labor and Employment; Negros Occidental Rep. Jeffrey Ferrer, Legislative Franchises; Caloocan City Rep. Dean Asistio, Metro Manila Development; Occidental Mindoro Rep. Leody Tarriela, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises; Caloocan Rep. Oscar Malapitan, National Defense and Security; and Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Marañon III, Natural Resources.
The House also elected Ilocos Norte Rep. Angelo Marcos Barba as chairperson of the Committee on North Luzon Growth Quadrangle; Surigao del Sur Rep. Romeo Momo Sr., Public Works and Highways; Rizal Rep. Emigdio Tanjuatco III, Revision of Laws; Masbate Rep. Wilton Kho, Rural Development; Negros Occidental Rep. Julio Ledesma IV, Science and Technology; Romblon Rep. Eleandro Jesus Madrona, Tourisim; Mountain Province Rep. Maximo Dalog Jr., Trade and Industry; Quezon City Rep. Franz Pumaren, Transportation; Isabela Rep. Faustino Michael Carlos Dy III, Youth and Sports Development; and Negros Occidental Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez, Creative Industries.
LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR
The Senate yesterday approved Concurrent Resolution No. 2 which outlines Congress’ legislative calendar for the First Regular Session of the 20th Congress.
It was approved by the House of Representatives also yesterday, according to Senate majority leader Joel Villanueva.
Under the legislative calendar, lawmakers will have their regular sessions from July 28 to October 3, before having their Halloween break from October 4 to November 9.
Regular sessions will resume on November 10 to December 19, after which the Yuletide break will be from December 20 to January 18, 2026.
The 2026 regular sessions will resume on January 19 and will run until March 20, after which lawmakers will have their summer break from March 21 to May 3.
Sessions will again resume from May 4 to June 5, after which Congress will adjourn sine die from June 6 to July 26 next year. – With Raymond Africa
