Minority senators take on more committee memberships

More members of the Senate minority bloc have been elected as heads and members of various permanent committees in the upper chamber.

This, as Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, during the plenary session on Wednesday, moved to elect minority senators to the following panels:

Committee on Government Corporations and Public Enterprises:

• Camille Villar (Chairperson)
• Alan Peter Cayetano (Vice Chairperson)
• Imee Marcos
• Mark Villar
• Bong Go
• Loren Legarda

Committee on Public Information and Mass Media:

• Robin Padilla (Chairperson)
• Jinggoy Estrada (Vice Chairperson)
• Imee Marcos
• Mark Villar
• Bong Go
• Loren Legarda

Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, Innovation and Futures Thinking:

• Pia Cayetano (Chairperson)
• Camille Villar (Vice Chairperson)
• Robin Padilla
• Loren Legarda

Committee on Tourism:

• Rodante Marcoleta (Chairperson)
• Camille Villar (Vice Chairperson)
• Bong Go
• Imee Marcos
• Loren Legarda
• Mark Villar
• Robin Padilla

Committee on Basic Education:

• Imee Marcos
• Loren Legarda
• Pia Cayetano
• Bong Go
• Mark Villar
• Robin Padilla
• Camille Villar

Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education:

• Imee Marcos
• Bong Go
• Loren Legarda
• Mark Villar
• Robin Padilla
• Ronald Dela Rosa
• Rodante Marcoleta

Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development:

• Imee Marcos
• Bong Go
• Mark Villar
• Robin Padilla
• Loren Legarda
• Ronald Dela Rosa
• Jinggoy Estrada

Committee on Migrant Workers:

• Imee Marcos
• Bong Go
• Mark Villar
• Robin Padilla
• Ronald Dela Rosa
• Camille Villar
• Rodante Marcoleta

Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs:

• Imee Marcos
• Bong Go
• Ronald Dela Rosa
• Robin Padilla
• Loren Legarda

Committee on Rules:

• Loren Legarda
• Rodante Marcoleta
• Pia Cayetano
• Imee Marcos

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian approved the nominations after hearing no objections from the floor.

Before moving to elect members of the minority to the posts, Alan Cayetano said that their bloc is “willing to up [its] load in terms of committees.”

He also committed to keep talking to the Senate President and Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri over the weekend to “resolve all issues by Monday.”

Gatchalian, meanwhile, thanked the minority leader for the initiative.

“Thank you, Minority Leader, for the initiative to complete the members of our committees. And like you said, we had a conversation earlier on the various issues that will make the workload more efficient,” the Senate President said.

Last week, Senators Pia Cayetano and Raffy Tulfo exchanged words over the incomplete memberships in the Senate committees, which the latter said were getting in the way of legislation.

— RSJ, GMA News