No panel for Santiago as LP corners postings

President Aquino’s Senate allies nailed down the more sought after committee leadership posts in the upper chamber in yesterday’s caucus on committee assignments with none going to members of the minority including Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago.

But the cornering of the choice posts was not done without having to enter into concessions with some colleagues comprising the “broader” majority bloc whom they have been engaging in a clash for weeks now.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile assumed responsibility over the distribution of the so-called permanent committees.

Enrile’s stance was made as earlier in the day as Santiago openly denounced the moves being taken by Palace allies led by the ranks of the Liberal Party (LP) in the Senate, who were accused of dictating on the leadership the distribution of committees.

Santiago said the issue of committee chairmanships is not yet settled, even as there are only two that remain “unfilled”

following a closed-door caucus in the middle of their plenary proceedings and later on, the elections on the floor.

Santiago said: “In case there is voting on the floor, this will be the first time in Senate history for the committee chairmanships.”

Santiago, prior to the plenary session, admitted to reporters her preference to handle this time, the committee on accountability of public officers and investigations or the blue ribbon, which can handle the probe on practically all cases of anomalies in the government. Santiago, however, did not participate in the caucus, according to Enrile.

“She’s saying that she’s now in the minority…, I cannot assign to her any committees because she was not present,” Enrile, explaining why her name was not mentioned on the floor during the election of committee chairmen, said.

Besides Santiago , the two other members of the minority bloc, Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and Sen. Joker Arroyo, did not get any position in the 34 permanent committees.

Although previous reports mentioned the names of Senators Francis Pangilinan and Teofisto Guingona III as seeking to head the blue ribbon committee, sources said that the position was earlier offered to Santiago.

Recent developments, however, had eased out Santiago from being among the supposed nominees.

“In my case what we agreed upon is that I would get Blue Ribbon and Foreign Relations, with the understanding of course that our leader Senators (Manuel) Villar and (Edgardo) Angara negotiate with other groups, what have been promised to us can be negotiated away in favor of the group,” she said.

“But what does not sit well with me and with my other fellow senators is, this is so serpentine… What logic it is that dictates that four members of a party can control 21 senators? Show me, what logic is it in astrophysics? That dictates that? How can that happen?” she lamented, referring to the LP bloc composed of Senators Pangilinan, Franklin Drilon, Ralph Recto and Guingona. “There’s only four of them and there’s 12 of us,” Santiago said, in reference to the combined forces of the Angara and Villar blocs.

The senator even defended her reason for eyeing the blue ribbon committee.

“I am a laureate of the Magsaysay Award for government service for bold and moral leadership in reforming a corrupt governmental agency. Here in the Senate, whatever anomaly I will expose it at grave threat to my own reputation. The enemy of course, like the devil, is never idle. Now, I’m a senior senator and I am on my third term. Why is it being given to junior senator?” she asked. Santiago was quick to clarify that she and Guingona do not have any personal conflict.

She can’t help but take note that some of their colleagues are displaying “excess of greed.”

“Some people are little greedy, some moderately greedy, some are hugely greedy, so we are seeing the unfolding of a scenario of excessive greed,” she said.

Her fears of a voting turned out to be baseless as the upper chamber leadership was able to resolve the committee assignments during their caucus.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada will once again lead the labor committee while the finance panel, considered among the most sought-after assignment, will be chaired by Drilon.

Angara, the former finance chairman, will take the helm of the education and the science and technology committees. Pangilinan will handle the committees on agriculture and food and social justice.

Recto, who had been in a tug-of-war with Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. over the chairmanship of the public services, settled for the ways and means and government corporations and public enterprises committees.

Besides the public services, Revilla will also handle the committee on public works.

Sen. Francis Escudero will chair the committees on national defense and security and justice and human rights.

Sen. Gregorio Honasan, on the other hand, will sit as chair of the public order and illegal drugs as well as public information and mass media.

Sen. Sergio Osmeña’s assignments include the committees on energy, banks and the joint congressional power committee.

Sen. Lito Lapid retained his position as chairman of the committee on games, amusement and sports and will now be handling the tourism panel.

Guingona, aside from the blue ribbon, will also be the chairman of the peace, unification and reconciliation committee, while Legarda will handle three committees – climate change, foreign relations and cultural minorities.

As for former majority leader, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, he will be the chairman of the committees on environment and cooperatives.

Villar was assigned to handle the economic affairs and trade and commerce committees.

Neophyte Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will be the chairman of the local government and urban planning committees.

Sen. Pia Cayetano was named chairman of three committees: ethics and privileges; health and demography; and youth and family relations.

The committees on accounts and civil service had been assigned to Senators Panfilo Lacson and Antonio Trillanes IV, respectively.

The committee on constitutional amendments and agrarian reform are yet to be given out. Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III said they have yet to hear from either Sen. Pia or Joker Arroyo on whether they’re interested to the constitutional amendments committee although Drilon expressed intention to take it up if nobody will get it. –Angie M. Rosales, Daily Tribune