The Senate underwent a major shake-up in committee leadership after Vicente “Tito” Sotto III was elected as Senate President on September 9. According to Sotto, the reorganization was done to preserve the reputation of the Senate and to give leaders a chance to address issues.
Among the new positions, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson was elected as the head of the Blue Ribbon Committee, replacing Sen. Rodante Marcoleta. Meanwhile, Sen. Loren Legarda has held many positions such as the Committee on National Defense, Committee on Accounts, and Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education Committee, which was previously held by Sen. Alan Cayetano.
Sen. Raffy Tulfo is the new chairman of the Committee on Labor and Employment, replacing Sen. Imee Marcos. Sen. JV Ejercito was appointed to the Public Order and Dangerous Drugs Committee, while Sen. Risa Hontiveros will handle the Health and Demography Committee. Both Ejercito and Hontiveros became Deputy Majority Leaders.
In addition, a new minority bloc was also formed under the leadership of Sen. Alan Cayetano as Minority Leader, including Estrada, Go, dela Rosa, Marcos, Marcoleta, Padilla, Escudero, and Villanueva. Estrada and Villanueva denied their involvement in the alleged kickback scheme that amounted to millions of pesos.
