APART from the Senate presidency, the position of chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee necessitated hard vetting among the super-majority senators. This is because Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, the presumptive Senate president, had offered the position to Sen. Francis “Tol” Tolentino, who accepted it openly as a challenge, before comebacking Senator Alan Peter Cayetano tried to clinch the post as an adjunct for his joining the majority bloc.
Gentlemen as they are, both Tolentino and Cayetano expressed respect for each other, believing that either one of them can wield the whip as head of the Blue Ribbon. In the end, the majority of the senators gave their vote to Tolentino, it was announced by Zubiri, who also clarified that committee chairmanships will have to be formalized through election upon the opening of the sessions starting on July 25.
‘“I pray that he will do all he can to make this government truly accountable to the people,” Cayetano said.’
The incoming Senate President said: “It’s not about really what you want. It’s about what the body wants kasi elected namin yan e. All Senate [committee] chairmen will be elected on the floor… kung may ilalagay po ako na chairman d’yan na ayaw naman ng grupo e di rin magiging chairman ng committee. So I have to accede to what the group wants,” Zubiri said.
In a text message to reporters, Senator Cayetano said he fully supports Tolentino’s chairmanship of the Blue Ribbon Committee. “I pray that he will do all he can to make this government truly accountable to the people,” Cayetano said.
Meanwhile, the Senate in the 19th Congress will have the following committee leaders, as agreed by its members, with possibly little changes: Minority bloc, Senators Risa Hontiveros and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III; Sonny Angara, finance, youth; Nancy Binay, accounts, tourism; Ronald dela Rosa, public order and dangerous drugs; JV Ejercito, local government, housing; Francis Escudero, higher, technical and vocational education; Jinggoy Estrada, labor, national defense; Sherwin Gatchalian, ways and means, basic education; Christopher Go, health, sports; Lito Lapid, games and amusement;
Imee Marcos, foreign relations, cooperatives, electoral reforms; Robin Padilla, constitutional amendments, public information; Grace Poe, public services, economic affairs; Bong Revilla, public works, civil service; Tolentino, Blue Ribbon, science and technology, justice; Raffy Tulfo, energy, migrant workers; Cynthia Villar, agriculture, agrarian reform, environment and natural resources; Mark Villar, trade, banks; Hontiveros, women, children and family relations, gender equality and Cayetano, sustainable development goals.
Zubiri said the Senate will have two deputy majority leaders to assist the majority leader, Joel Villanueva.
It looks like the Senate in the 19th Congress is all set to do its work of making laws that will buttress the overall direction of governance the Marcos administration wishes to take. Sessions will start on July 25, coinciding with the President’s State of the Nation Address.
