THE Senate committee chairmanships have been reorganized following the change in leadership on May 11 that saw Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and his allies in the minority bloc unseat Sen. Vicente Sotto III as Senate president.
The fugitive Sen. Ronald dela Rosa and four members from Sotto's majority bloc helped Cayetano secure 13 votes to make him Senate president.
Dela Rosa, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity, surfaced after a six-month absence in the Senate to help Cayetano secure victory. Those who brought the "swing votes" were Sens. Pia Cayetano, Loren Legarda, Camille Villar, and Mark Villar.
The following is the list of committees and their new chairmen: Culture and Arts – Loren Legarda, Ways and Means – Pia Cayetano, Health – Bong Go, Higher, Technical and Vocational Education – Joel Villanueva, National Defense and Security – Jinggoy Estrada, Sports – Bong Go, Sustainable Development Goals – Pia Cayetano, Basic Education – Loren Legarda, Public Services – Rodante Marcoleta, Public Information and Mass Media – Robin Padilla, Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs – Robin Padilla, Games and Amusement – Jinggoy Estrada, and Energy – Pia Cayetano. The chairmanship of major committees such as the Blue Ribbon, which investigates anomalies in government, and Finance have yet to be assigned.
It was rumored that Sen. Pia Cayetano, the Senate president’s elder sister, will replace Sen. Panfilo Lacson, as Blue Ribbon Committee chairman.
Lacson, who led the investigation on the multibillion-peso flood control bribery scandal, was able to present his chairman's report before the Senate shakeup. It contained a recommendation to conduct further investigation on the alleged involvement of some fellow senators in the flood control fund mess.
Sen. Bam Aquino, now a member of the minority bloc after Sotto's ouster, lost the chairmanship of the basic education panel.
Aquino said that under his watch, a 10-year National Education and Workforce Development Plan (2026-2035) framework was established to help address the woes hounding the country's education system.
There are 41 Senate committees to be farmed out to both majority and minority blocs. However, it is the practice to assign the perceived major committees to the majority group. The so-called "less challenging" committees are normally given to senators in the minority group.