Miriam to still head Senate panel handling Cha-cha proposals

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago will still chair the Senate committee that handles proposals for Charter change (Cha-cha).

During Monday's session, Senate majority leader Alan Peter Cayetano announced that Santiago will remain as chairwoman of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments, revision of codes and laws.

Last year, Santiago opposed moves to amend economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution, saying such moves will only give "total freedom" to foreign corporations.

The senator however said she will not block Cha-cha efforts at the Senate, although efforts to amend the Constitution did not flourish last Congress.

Earlier this month, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. made a fresh push for Cha-cha, although Malacañang maintained its previous position that amending the Constitution is not an urgent matter.

Committees for minority

Aside from the constitutional amendments panel, the Senate foreign relations committee will also be headed by Santiago.

The Senate committee on government corporations and public enterprise will be chaired by Senator Cynthia Villar, while the Senate health panel was designated to Senator Teofisto Guingona III.

Senator Jinggoy Estrada, a member of the minority, meanwhile announced that he accepted the Senate leadership's offer for him to chair the Senate labor committee.

Senator Nancy Binay meanwhile got the chairmaship of the Senate social justice, welfare and rural development, while Senator Gregorio Honasan got the top post of the Senate agrarian reform committee.

Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito, for his part, will chair two panels: the Senate committees on economic affairs, and on urban planning.

During the announcement, Estrada joked about the reason why Ejercito, his brother, got two committees despite their supposed sibling rivalry.

"That’s how much I love my brother," Estrada quipped. — BM, GMA News