Estrada, Go, Legarda, Marcoleta get key Senate panels after coup
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate’s committee lineup took clearer shape on Monday, May 18, after the shakeup that shifted alliances into a new majority that installed Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano.
Senators approved a new set of chairmanships that placed important committees on health, education, defense and public services under allies and the majority bloc.
Sen. Bong Go was elected chair of the Committee on Health and Demography. He also retained the chairmanship of the Committee on Sports.
Sen. Joel Villanueva now leads the Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education.
Legarda, who was elected Senate president pro tempore in the leadership shakeup and was the swing vote in favor of Cayetano's leadershgip, was also named chairperson of the Committee on Basic Education.
Legarda retained the chairmanship of the Committee on Culture and the Arts.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada was approved as chairperson of the Committee on National Defense.
Estrada also now leads the Committee on Games and Amusement,.
The Committee on Public Services, meanwhile, is now chaired by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta.
Sen. Pia Cayetano retained the chairmanships of the Committee on Ways and Means, Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, Innovation and Futures Thinking, and Committee on Energy.
Sen. Robin Padilla also kept his chairmanships of the Committee on Public Information and Mass Media and the Committee on Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs.
Sen. Bato Dela Rosa, who was absent from Monday’s session, had earlier been assigned the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs on May 11.
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Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified some senators as vice chairpersons of committees. In the Senate’s announcement of committee chairships, the term “vice” referred to “in replacement of” and not “vice chair.” The story has since been edited to remove the incorrect references to vice chairmanships.
The blue ribbon committee, which handles major investigations in aid of legislation, remains without a chair. Its previous head, Sen. Ping Lacson, had failed to secure enough signatures from panel members to draw up a recommendation for charges against his Senate colleagues allegedly involved in a flood control fund scheme.
The reorganization was made formal after the chamber convened as trial court on impeached Vice President Sara Duterte. — reports from Renalyn Ramirez and Cristina Chi
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