Francis Pangilinan gets 2 more key posts in Senate

Sen. Francis Pangilinan — File photo from Senate Social Media Unit

MANILA, Philippines — Two more key positions in the Senate were assigned to Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan as part of the ongoing reorganization in the chamber following the election of new Senate President  Vicente “Tito” Sotto III last Monday.

Pangilinan, who chairs the committee on agriculture, will now also lead the committee on justice, previously headed by Sen. Alan Peter  Cayetano.

Pangilinan was also elected representative of the Senate to the Judicial and Bar Council.

Meanwhile, neophyte Sen. Camille Villar will be the new head of the committee on economic affairs, replacing  Sen. Juan Miguel  Zubiri, who is now the majority leader and concurrent chairman of the committee on rules.

Villar is also the incumbent chairperson of the committee on the environment.

Aside from the housing committee, Sen. Lito Lapid was assigned to lead the committee on cooperatives, which was previously headed by Sen. Imee Marcos.

The results of the elections of the new committee heads were read by Zubiri on the Senate floor on Wednesday.

The Senate also elected its 12-man contingent to the powerful  Commission on Appointments — seven from the majority bloc and five from the minority group.

The seven are Sens. Risa Hontiveros, Loren Legarda, Raffy Tulfo, JV Ejercito, Mark Villar, Lito Lapid, and Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson.

The five from the minority bloc are Sens. Joel Villanueva,  Christopher “Bong” Go, Rodante Maroleta, Imee Marcos, and Jinggoy Estrada. /atm