Senate elects new secretary, sergeant-at-arms

MANILA, Philippines—Senators on Monday elected a former congressman and presidential adviser on legislative affairs as the new secretary of the Senate. 

No senator objected when Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri nominated Mark Llandro “Dong” Mendoza to the post vacated by retired Senate Secretary Renato  Bantug.

Zubiri described Mendoza as a “seasoned government official” having served as a member of the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2016, as secretary general of the House from 2020 to 2022, and as presidential adviser on legislative affairs from 2022 to 2025.

“This is history in the making, marking the first time that a secretary general of the House will also serve as secretary of the Senate. But if there is anyone that we can trust to ably handle the affairs of the Senate with competence and integrity, it is Secretary Mendoza,” he said.

The Senate likewise elected its next sergeant-at-arms, retired Major General Edgardo Rene Samonte, who was an officer of the Air Force.

“Having already served as our Senate sergeant-at-arms during the 18th Congress, General Samonte knows these halls better than even many of us incumbent senators do,” Zubiri said.

“This will simply be a return to service for a man who has already proven himself to be a trusted leader right here in the Senate,”  the senator added. /apl