Escudero to join Senate majority bloc in 19th Congress

Outgoing Sorsogon Governor and Senator-elect Francis "Chiz" Escudero on Tuesday said he will be joining the majority bloc in the 19th Congress.

"[I will be joining] the majority. Being in the majority means you voted for the winning Senate president. I will vote for Migz (Juan Miguel Zubiri)," Escudero said in a text message shared to reporters.

In a separate Viber message to reporters, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri thanked his longtime friend for supporting his Senate presidency bid in the 19h Congress.

"I am honored to have Sen. Chiz Escudero by my side and I am deeply humbled by his support and friendship. Sen. Escudero and I have been friends for twenty four years since we were young lawmakers in the 11th Congress and I'm proud to say that trough thick and thin, our friendship has remained  steadfast and strong," Zubiri said.

He then mentioned Escudero's competence, which he said, the majority bloc needs to pass several legislation for the country.

"Being a veteran lawmaker and a brilliant lawyer, he brings the skills and experience that the majority block would need to champion laws and advocacies for the good of the nation," Zubiri said.

"I value his membership to the supermajority and I thank him for his trust and support," he added.

Zubiri, Escudero, Senators Cynthia Villar, and Sherwin Gatchalian were earlier reported as possible contenders for the Senate's top post in the next Congress.

But the 19th Congress senators, including Villar, came into an agreement to have Zubiri as the next Senate president.

'Fiscalizers'

In an interview with reporters, outgoing Senate President Vicente Sotto III explained that even if more senators are members of the majority, some of them still act as fiscalizers.

"Hindi naman por que member ng majority, pag nag-crack ng whip ang majority leader e automatic boboto or hindi na magtatanong. Hindi ganoon. As I said, it has always been the case," Sotto said.

Sotto further pointed out the importance of a strong minority bloc in the Senate as they make sure that the bills are well scrutinized.

Asked if this is the best time to be part of the minority bloc, Sotto said it  would not be ideal to be viewed as a fiscalizer of an administration which was elected by more or less 31 million Filipinos.

But it would be a best time to be a minority senator in the 19th Congress since only few are willing to join the group, he noted. — RSJ, GMA News