3 senators eyed public services committee, says Sotto

Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

AT LEAST three senators had wanted to get the chairmanship of the Senate committee on public services, which was later given to Senator Grace Poe, Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III disclosed on Wednesday.

“Gusto ni Senator Grace; gusto ni Senator JV; gusto rin ni Senator Zubiri. The majority decides,” Sotto said at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay.

JV is incumbent Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito while Zubiri is Senator-elect Juan Miguel Zubiri. Ejercito backed Poe’s presidential run in the May 9 elections while Zubiri ran under her ticket.

Poe was said to be among the 14 senators who signed a resolution, supporting Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III’s bid for Senate President in the 17th Congress. Ejercito and Zubiri, on the other hand, were reportedly leaning towards Pimentel’s contender, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano.

Sotto expressed doubts however that the majority’s decision to give the committee to Poe was one of the reasons Ejercito and Zubiri did not join their group.

Ejercito, in a separate interview with reporters, confirmed that he wanted to chair the committee on public services, saying he was interested in the transport sector.

“I’d have to be honest, ang gusto ko sana maging chair ng committee of public services pero from what I heard, ito po ay nabigay na kay Senator Grace Poe,” he said.

“I’d not mind kung sana’y makuha man lang ako kahit vice chair kahit doon lang sa transportation kasi ang public services medyo malaking (sector yan) andyan ang franchises. I’m more interested in the transport sector kasi medyo naiintidihan ko yan at pinag-aralan ko din yan. In fact, I went to Japan, I went to Singapore to study the railway system. I want to be an enabler, I’d say,” Ejercito explained.

He said one of the many reasons he is backing the incoming administration of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte was the latter’s commitment to his first big project – the railway system.

“Aside from the public services, sana lang makatulong ako dun. Kung hindi ko man makuha yung chairmanship at least maging active din ako dun sa komite,” he said.

Asked if Cayetano had promised to give him the committee should the former become the Senate President, Ejercito said: “Sabi ko yun ang first choice ko. Parang mayroon ding ibang gusto nun. Ang hinihiling ko na lang mag-vice-chair or (active) member.”/ac