21 Senate committee chairs named

(Photo: Jess Escaros Jr./PNA)

MANILA – As expected, the Senate ‘supermajority’ bloc of 21 senators took the juicy chairmanships based on the first 21 committees that have been filled up during the Tuesday session.

The announcement of the committee chairmanships was made a day after the Senate elected new Senate President Aquilino ‘Koko’ Pimentel III, Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, Senate President Pro-Tempore Franklin Drilon and Minority Leader Ralph Recto during the opening of the first regular session of the 17th Congress.

As reported earlier, comebacking Senator Richard Gordon took the influential Senate committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigation or Blue Ribbon.

Senator Cynthia Villar did not get her wish to retain the committee on agriculture but got two committees – environment and natural resources; and social justice, welfare and rural development.

“I’m satisfied with my committees. I can work with it. One of my advocacies also is environmental protection,” Villar said in a media interview.

Comebacking Senators Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan took the committee on agriculture and food and Senator Richard Gordon the influential committee on accountability of public officers and investigations or Blue Ribbon.

Drilon cornered the Senate committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes, promising to give priority on the proposed Charter change that would give way to President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for a shift of form government to federalism.

Other members of the majority bloc who got the committee chairmanships include: Senator Paolo Benigno ‘Bam’ Aquino IV who got the education, arts and culture; neophyte Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, committee on energy; Senator Loren Legarda, finance; and neophyte senator Leila De Lima, justice and human rights.

Another neophyte Senators Risa Hontiveros and Joel Villanueva took the committees on health and demography, and labor, employment and human resources, respectively.

Boxing superstar Senator Manny Pacquiao will chair the public works committee while Senator Grace Poe got the public services and comebacking Senator Panfilo Lacson the public order and dangerous drugs.

Veteran Senator Gregorio Honasan II has been named to head the committee on national defense and security while Senator Nancy Binay took the tourism panel.

Another comebacking Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri has been named chairman of the committee on trade, commerce and entrepreneurship while Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito got the urban planning, housing and resettlement.

Senator Juan Edgardo ‘Sonny’ Angara got his wish to chair the ways and means committee while Sotto the committee on rules.

Senate minority bloc member Senator Antonio Trillanes IV retained the chairmanship of the committee on civil service, government reorganization and professional regulation.

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who initially aspired the Senate presidency, has yet to be given committee chairmanship but Pimentel announced earlier that the former Majority Leader will get the committee on foreign relations.

Pimentel announced that Cayetano has joined the supermajority bloc as the 21st senator.

The chairs of the remaining committees will be officially named next week.

The Senate President, Majority Leader and Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto are all ex-officio of all the committees.

Senator Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero and Trillanes, being the only members of the minority bloc, have been named members of all the commitees.