Sotto: Claims over Senate committees ‘95% resolved’

The conflict among incumbent and newly elected senators over the chairmanship of choice committees was “95 percent” resolved, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said, following a dinner among the Senate supermajority bloc on Wednesday night.

“I think it will be resolved on its own … in a few days. But the way I look at it, it’s rare to have clashes. What happened was good because they know that there is an equity of the incumbent,” Sotto said in a phone interview with reporters.

Aside from Sotto, present during the dinner hosted by Sen. Manny Pacquiao in Makati were Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senators Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay, Sherwin Gatchalian, Richard Gordon, Grace Poe and Joel Villanueva.

Also present were returning Senators Lito Lapid and Ramon Revilla Jr., and senators-elect  Christopher “Bong” Go, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Imee Marcos and Francis Tolentino.

During the meeting, the lawmakers were asked to list the Senate committees they wanted to lead in the 18th Congress .

Urban planning

Go expressed his preference for the committees on health and on urban planning, while Tolentino wanted to chair the committee on local government, Sotto said.

Dela Rosa is poised to lead the committee on public order and dangerous drugs, as well as the committee on peace.

Marcos, meanwhile, expressed her desire to lead the committee on social welfare, and the committee on agrarian reform, while Sen. Cynthia Villar said she preferred to chair the committee on social justice, presently chaired by detained Sen. Leila de Lima.

Sotto said they were thinking of offering the ways and means committee to Sen. Pia Cayetano, who also wanted to chair the education committee.  Gatchalian and Villanueva expressed interest in the education committee as well.

Revilla wants to handle the committees on civil service and on public information, while Lapid wants to handle the committee on games and amusement.

Public information

Poe was willing to give up the committee on public information but expressed her preference for the commitee on banks. She will retain her chairmanship of the committee on public services.

The committee on foreign relations may be handled by Pimentel, while Sotto said he will ask Cayetano to handle the committee on electoral reforms.

Lacson may be poised to handle the committee on national defense, while the committee on women is being claimed by both Hontiveros and Cayetano.

Pacquiao has expressed willingness to turn over the committee on sports to Go, while the committee on constitutional amendments will be retained by opposition Sen. Francis Pangilinan.

The committee on climate change may go to Binay, while the committee on science and technology and the oversight committee have no takers yet. The committee on finance may go to Angara.

Sotto said they were still discussing the composition of the powerful Commission on Appointments.