Imee eyeing ways and means committee, Sotto says

Incoming Senator Imee Marcos is interested to head the Senate ways and means committee, according to Senate President Vicente Sotto III.

"I heard it, that Imee Marcos is interested in the ways and means committee," Sotto said in an interview on ANC.

In a text message to GMA News Online on Wednesday, Sotto said Marcos' chief of staff had approached his political officer to convey to them her interest to head the panel.

Current ways and means committee chairman Senator Sonny Angara is being eyed to lead the finance committee in the 18th Congress, Sotto said.

The finance committee is currently chaired by outgoing Senator Loren Legarda, who won a congressional seat in Antique in the May 13 elections.

“The finance committee, nobody wants to take it. So we are going to elect Senator Sonny Angara to the finance committee whether he likes it or not," Sotto said on ANC.

"Also the ways and means committee, nobody [among incumbent senators] wants to take it so we will most probably elect who we think would be good for the job."

Marcos placed 8th in the senatorial race with over 15 million votes. She ran under the administration-backed Hugpong ng Pagbabago.

The committee on ways and means has jurisdiction on all matters relating to revenue generally; taxes and fees; tariffs; loans and other sources and forms of revenue as stated in Rule X, Section 13 (5) of the Senate Rules.

With the 18th Congress soon to open, Sotto said new senators have started gunning for certain committees, including those being handled by incumbents.

He said the chamber will follow the "equity of the incumbent" tradition.

"There is a tradition in the Senate that we call the equity of the incumbent in choosing the chairmanships. They have work that they have started, they have to continue most of the bills that they started hearing, or filed, therefore, that is the reason for that, the equity," Sotto said.

He said they we must practice now a consensus building or the art of compromise because the newcomers would want some major committees and most of the major committees are being handled by incumbent senators.

"That is where the problem lies. So we have to build the consensus of the members, we have to talk to those who would be willing to forego their committees and offer another committee," he said.

"That’s how it works. It’s not an easy job and it is not left to the discretion of the Senate President contrary to what others think. It is always the members of the majority that vote for the chairman." —Amita Legaspi/KBK, GMA News