Pia Cayetano replaces Tolentino as Senate blue ribbon chairperson

Senator Pia Cayetano is now the new chairperson of the Senate Committee on Accountability of Public Officers & Investigations, more popularly known as the blue ribbon committee.

Cayetano was formally elected during the Senate session on Monday.

It was Senate Majority Joel Villanueva who moved to elect Cayetano to the position after he disclosed that Senator Francis Tolentino officially tendered his resignation to the body on January 22, 2024.

While the committee will have a new chairperson, Villanueva said the composition of its members will remain the same.

In December last year, Tolentino said he would leave his position as chairman of the Senate blue ribbon committee, citing an agreement that was made with the Senate leadership in 2022.

The decision of the majority to elect Cayetano as the new chairperson of the powerful committee was “applauded” by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.

Pimentel pointed out that Cayetano is the first female to lead the blue ribbon panel.

“We congratulate our first ever female chairperson of the Senate blue ribbon committee,” he manifested.

Pimentel’s observation was seconded by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, who eventually approved the changes in the committee’s leadership.

“We are very honored that Senator Pia Cayetano is the new chairperson,” Zubiri said.

The Senate blue ribbon committee is tasked to investigate all matters relating to malfeasance, misfeasance and nonfeasance in office by officers and employees of the government, its branches, agencies, subdivisions and instrumentalities; implementation of the provision of the Constitution on nepotism; and investigation of any matter of public interest on its own initiative or brought to its attention by any member of the Senate.

Among the controversies that the Senate blue ribbon panel had investigated in the past are the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam, Dengvaxia, Fertilizer Fund Scam, the “Hello, Garci” scandal, the allegedly overpriced COVID-19 supply procurements, the DepEd laptop deals, and questioned sugar importation orders. —KBK/BM, GMA Integrated News