Noynoy allies corner Senate committees

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate has assigned the chairs and members of all but one of the 37 committees, with President Aquino’s allies cornering most of the major committees.

Ending almost a week of horse-trading among the lawmakers, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile presided over the session as majority leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III announced the election of the chairs of the committees.

Only the committee on constitutional amendments, revision of codes and laws remains without a head.

Nobody stood up to challenge the designation of the committee chairmanships, contrary to predictions by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago who attended the Senate session despite poor health in anticipation of a showdown on the floor.

Sen. Sergio Osmeña III, who supported Aquino’s presidential bid, got the Senate committee on energy and the committee on banks, financial institutions and currencies as well as the joint congressional power commission.

Osmena’s wife, Bettina, is a scion of the Lopez family, which used to control the Manila Electric Co.

Osmeña said Sen. Loren Legarda was given the committees on foreign relations, on climate change and on cultural communities as she had requested.

“Senate President Enrile asked the indulgence of everybody… in his position of leadership, while he could not please everybody, he tried his best. Anyway, they could have objected on the floor when we named… but nobody objected,” Osmeña said.

Asked why Santiago was not given any committee, Osmeña said, “Senator Miriam I think wants to be Senate president.”

Sen. Franklin Drilon of President Aquino’s Liberal Party got the Senate committee on finance, while Ralph Recto was given the powerful ways and means as well as the committee on government corporations and public enterprises.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan, also of the LP, who did not get the Senate presidency, was named chairman of the committees on agriculture and food, and on social justice, welfare and development.

For neophyte Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, it was the Senate Blue Ribbon and the peace, unification and reconciliation committees.

Sen. Francis Escudero got the chairmanship of the committee on justice and human rights, and on national defense and security.

Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada is chairing the committee on labor; Gregorio Honasan, the committees on public order and illegal drugs, agrarian reform and public information and mass media; Ramon Revilla Jr., the committees on public works and public services; Lito Lapid, the committees on games and amusement, and tourism.

Sen. Edgardo Angara was named chairman of the committee on education, and on science and technology. Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri is head of the committees on environment and on cooperatives.

Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. got the committees on economic affairs and on trade and commerce while his colleague in the Nacionalista Party, Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., was designated head of the committees on local governments, and on urban planning, housing and resettlement.

Fugitive Sen. Panfilo Lacson keeps the chairmanship of the committee on accounts while detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV retains his committee on civil service.

Although a member of the Senate minority bloc, Sen. Pia Cayetano has been assigned three committees – health and demography, youth and family relations, and ethics.

Sen. Alan Cayetano, as minority leader, is automatically a member of all the committees. Another minority senator, Sen. Joker Arroyo, opted not to get any chairmanships as he did in the 14th Congress.

But some senators decried the selection of the chairmanships.

“Magboomerang sa kanila (It will boomerang on them). What they cannot get by vote, they used the influence of the President,” a senator who declined to be named said.

“We will give them six months, and let’s see these collapsing right before them,” another senator said.

Enrile deferred the designation of Santiago as head of the Senate committee on foreign relations because “she was attacking me personally,” one of the senators quoted Enrile as saying after a caucus.

Interviewed before the session started, Drilon defended the LP from accusations that they had cornered the juicy Senate committees. “Wala po kaming dinidiktahan. Ang chairmanships ng mga committees ay pinaguusapan sa caucus (We’re not dictating on anyone. The choice of committee chairmanship is discussed in a caucus).”

Angara said he had “already conceded” to Drilon the chairmanship of the Senate committee on finance.

Angara said his being given the committee on education and the committee on science and technology completes a “full circle because that’s my first committee when I was senator. I held that for 10 years.”

“Let’s just say this is an excess of greed. Some people are a little greedy, some moderately greedy, some are hugely greedy, so we are seeing the unfolding of a scenario of excessive greed,” Santiago said, referring to Guingona’s being named chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee.

But Enrile defended his appointments, saying he “assumes the responsibility of distributing the committees.”

“I left it to them to do whatever they want. As far as I am concerned, I leave it to my peers to decide my position as Senate President. After all, they have the votes,” said Enrile. –Christina Mendez (The Philippine Star)