Senate committee chairmen named

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto 3rd on Tuesday said that the chairmen of almost 90 percent of the Senate permanent committees have been identified. The chairmanship of the finance committee, formerly held by Sen. Edgardo Angara, will go to Sen. Franklin Drilon. Angara will head the committees on science and technology and on education.

The other committee chairmen are: Sen. Francis Pangilinan, blue-ribbon; Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, agriculture and cooperatives; Sen. Sergio Osmena 3rd, banks; Sen. Ralph Recto, ways and means and public services; Senate President Pro-Tempore Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, labor.

Sen. Manuel Villar Jr., economic affairs; Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr., public works; Sen. Panfilo Lacson, accounts; Sen. Pia Cayetano, health and environment; Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., local government and Sen. Francis Escudero, justice.

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice is former officio member of the Judicial and Bar Council that will meet on August 2 to deliberate on nominees to the Supreme Court.

Sotto said that the identified committee chairmen still have to be formally elected on the floor. He added that chairmen of some committees such as the Committee on Justice, might be elected ahead of the others.

Sen. Gregorio Honasan 3rd will be the chairman of the Committee on Public Order and Illegal Drugs. He will also temporarily head the Committee on National Defense but he said that he would give it up if Lacson—who is on the run—appears and expresses interest in it.

Honasan was a former chairman of the Committee on Agrarian Reform but he said that he would no longer go for it.

“However, I would ask that I be included in the oversight committee on the implementation of agrarian reform,” he added.

Sotto said that Revilla is also interested in heading the Committee on Public Services, the body that approves franchises.

The chairmanship of the Committee on Energy is still being deliberated upon. Sen. Loren Legarda is interested in the panel.

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano will not head any committee but he is automatically a member of all permanent committees. Sen. Joker Arroyo does not want to be chairman of any committee.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, however, questioned if 90 percent of the committees have been filled up. He said that a number of committees still have no chairmen because a number of senators wanted them. He is confident that this conflict would be resolved within a few days.

The groups of Villar and Angara met earlier on Tuesday to press for equitable distribution of committee chairmanships. The meeting was held amid perceptions that major committees are being given to Drilon, Pangilinan, Recto and other members of the Liberal Party of President Benigno Aquino 3rd.

Enrile said that assignments of committees are based on the capabilities of the senators, not on their political parties or political influence. –EFREN L. DANAO SENIOR REPORTER, Manila Times