Lone Senate president contender Zubiri bares bloc's choices for leadership posts

Left with no opposition for the presidency of the Senate in the next Congress from Senator Cynthia Villar , Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri on Wednesday bared his bloc's choices for the other leadership positions in the chamber.

Zubiri thanked Villar for her “support, graciousness, and magnanimity” in helping him form a supermajority.

According to Zubiri, Villar had talked to him about her decision before the Commission on Appointments hearing on Wednesday morning.

“Kaninang umaga po nung bago po tayo mag-Commission on Appointments hearing e tinawag niya po ako sa isang tabi ng plenary hall at kinausap niya po ako na hindi na siya interesado sa Senate presidency,” Zubiri told reporters.

“Basta ang sinabi niya ay huwag kalimutan ang kanyang grupo and I said ‘Ma’am, never ko sila kakalimutan,’” he added.

Zubiri said the 'seatmates' bloc planned to install Senator-elect Loren Legarda as the Senate president pro tempore—the second highest post in the chamber—and re-elected Senator Joel Villanueva as the next majority leader.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who joined him in the press conference, will retain his chairmanship on the Committee on Basic Education. He will also be heading the Committee on Ways and Means which is currently chaired by Senator Pia Cayetano.

Senator Nancy Binay, who also joined the interview, will still chair the Tourism panel and she was named as the next chair of the Committee on Accounts which is currently chaired by outgoing Senator Panfilo Lacson.

Senator Sonny Angara, another member of the “seatmates,” will retain his chairmanship of the Committee on Finance.

Zubiri said the bloc was still “trying to iron out” some committee chairmanships and they are also working on the “equity of the incumbent,” especially with the senators who supported Villar’s bid, namely Senators Bong Go, Francis Tolentino, Ronald dela Rosa, Ramon Revilla and Imee Marcos.

Senators-elect Robin Padilla and Mark Villar are among the incoming senators who also supported Cynthia’s Senate presidency bid.

According to Zubiri, Padilla's group has been negotiating with them to give the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments to the neophyte senator.

“Yan ang adhikain niya e. ‘Yan ang gusto niya. Let him prove his worth,” Zubiri said about Padilla's plan to head one of the major committees, adding that no one from their bloc wanted to get the panel.

Zubiri said being a lawyer is not a requirement in getting the chairmanship of the said panel.

Apart from the Constitutional Amendments panel, Padilla also wanted to chair the Committee on Social Justice which is currently chaired by Senator Leila de Lima.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, one of the important committees in the Senate, was offered to Tolentino but the latter has yet to accept the post, Zubiri said.

In line with the principle of the incumbent, Zubiri said Villar will be retaining her chairmanship of the Committee on Agriculture and Food, and the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.

Go will also retain his chairmanship of the Committee on Health and Demography as well as the Committee on Sports; Senator Grace Poe will still head the Committee on Public Services and Committee on Banks, while Senator Manuel Lapid will still lead the Committee on Games and Amusement.

On the other hand, Revilla is poised to take the chairmanship of the Committee on Public Works which is currently chaired by outgoing Senator Manny Pacquiao, while Marcos is set to chair the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

Returning Senator Francis Escudero is set to take the Committee on Justice which Zubiri said is also a “very major committee" as the chairman will also sit as a member of the Judicial and Bar Council who handles the appointments of the magistrates in the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court and other posts in the Judiciary.

Senator-elect JV Ejercito is eyed to lead the Committee on Local Government and Committee on Higher Education while his half-brother, Senator-elect Jinggoy Estrada wanted to sit as the chairman of the Committee on Labor.

According to Zubiri, they are planning to amend the Senate Rules and divide the Committee on Labor– one that will handle domestic labor concerns and another panel that will tackle bills for overseas Filipino workers.

Estrada will chair the panel that will handle local labor issues while neophyte Senator Raffy Tulfo will chair the proposed committee for OFWs.

Further, Tulfo is poised to chair the Committee on Energy which is currently chaired by Gatchalian.

For the minority bloc, re-elected Senator Risa Hontiveros will retain her chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality should Senator Aquilino Pimentel III pursue the post of Senate minority leader.

For now, Zubiri said they are still having discussions with Senator-elect Alan Peter Cayetano and Senator Pia Cayetano, who are reportedly joining the minority in the next Congress.

Should the Cayetano siblings join the minority, Zubiri assured that they will still get committee chairmanships. —NB, GMA News