MANILA, Philippines – Senator Loren Legarda will chair three committees in the Senate, the most number of committees so far given to a senator this 16th Congress.
Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano reported on the floor on Wednesday that Legarda will head the committees on environment, on climate change and on cultural communities.
Senator Francis Escudero, on the other hand, was elected chairman of the Senate committee on finance, one of the powerful committees in Congress that deliberates the national budget, among others.
Senate President Franklin Drilon used to head the finance committee in the15th Congress.
The committee on education assigned last Tuesday to Escudero will now to go to Senator Pia Cayetano.
Another powerful committee – accountability of public officers and investigations known as blue ribbon committee – was retained to Senator Teofisto Guingona, who wa
s also elected to head the committee on peace, unification, and reconciliation.
Neophyte Senator Juan Edgardo Angara got the chairmanship of two major committees – the ways and means, and games and amusements.
The electoral reforms and local government committees were retained to Senators Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel Jr. and Ferdinand “Bong-Bong” Marcos Jr., respectively.
Aside from the local government committee, Marcos was elected to head the committee on public works.
The committee on cooperatives was retained to Senator Lito Lapid, who will also continue to head the committee on tourism.
Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV will head the committee on government corporations and public enterprise aside from the committee on defense assigned to him Tuesday.
The other committee assignments read on the floor last Tuesday were the committees on public order and dangerous drugs, and public information which will be headed by Senator Grace Poe –Llamanzares; committee on agriculture to be headed by neophyte Senator Cynthia Villar; committee on trade to be headed by another neophyte Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino; and committee on public services, which was retained to Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.
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