Senator Risa Hontiveros is the new chairperson of the Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms and People's Participation, after Senate Majority Leader Miguel Zubiri appointed her to plenary session on Monday. The appointment follows Senator Panfilo Lacson's announcement that he will relinquish the chairmanship due to his multiple duties as Senate President Pro Tempore and chair of the Accounts Committee and Blue Ribbon Committee.
Members of other committees were also elected. In the Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation, including Senators JV Ejercito, Mark Villar, Raffy Tulfo, Bam Aquino, and Sherwin Gatchalian for the majority, while Bong Go and Joel Villanueva for the minority. Go was also elected as vice chair. In the Ethics Committee, Villanueva, Go, and Senator Ronald dela Rosa complete the minority panel that will monitor the conduct of senators.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III said there could be a change in the chairmanship of some committees, following the first majority caucus after the Yuletide break. “We also discussed the organizational meetings of other committees… there could be a change in chairmanship,” he explained. The move is part of a broader reorganization of Senate leadership to make deliberations more effective.
The senators also discussed the anti-political dynasty law, which aims to limit the scope of political dynasties at the local government level. According to Lacson, it would be better to start with a "gateway" law in the city or town before expanding to the provincial level. Its goal is to ban members of political families up to the 2nd civil degree, without suddenly forcing broader changes.
Apart from the anti-dynasty bill, the majority also criticized priority bills, including the Independent People's Commission (IPC) bill. According to Sotto, the hearing will continue to prioritize the anti-dynasty law and the amendments to the Party-list System Act. Meanwhile, there is no information yet on Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, who has been absent from the Senate for a long time after news broke about a possible International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him.
