Pangilinan vows  to fortify Senate minority after ouster from post

Senator Francis Pangillinan. (Photo by RICHARD A. REYES/Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan heaved sigh of relief on Monday even after he was ousted as chairman of the Senate committee on agriculture.

On Senator Manny Pacquiao’s motion, Pangilinan, president of Liberal Party, was removed as chair of the committee and replaced by Senator Cynthia Villar.

“Relieved actually,” Pangilinan said in a text message when asked how he felt after he and other LP senators were stripped of their posts.

“We can further strengthen our independent stance vis a vis the administration. Mas mainam na ito. Papalakasin natin ang hanay ng minority,” he added.

(This is better. We can strengthen the minority.)

Aside from Pangilinan, two LP senators — Franklin Drilon and Bam Aquino – were also removed from their posts.

Drilon was ousted as Senate President Pro Tempore and was replaced by Senator Ralph Recto while Aquino was replaced by Senator Francis Escudero as chair of the Senate committee on education. Recto was the Senate Minority Leader while Escudero was also a member of the minority before they jumped to the majority bloc.

Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros, who ran with the LP-led ticket in the last May elections, was also removed as chair of the Senate committee on health and was replaced by Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito.

Taking the floor after his ouster, Aquino said he would gladly accept his fate if the removal was the price he had to pay for showing up on the streets and talking about democracy.

“Alam mo, Mr. President, lahat naman tayo dito mga pulitiko, lahat naman dito tayo mga (You see, Mr. President, all of us here are politicians) big boys and big girls and I take no offense to this removal of my chairmanship on education. But for the record Mr. President, I’d just like to state for the record and I hope no one will object that this move Mr. President has nothing to do with performance of the committee on education,” he said.

“It was a pleasure being your committee on education chairman and Mr. President, if this is the price to pay to show up on the streets of Edsa, talking about democracy, talking about the issues of violence on our streets, if this is the price to pay Mr. President, I’d gladly pay that price,” Aquino added.

Hontiveros expressed no regrets leaving the majority bloc, saying she joined group under the premise that it would push for a strong and independent Senate.

“Sadly, this is no longer the case. Thus, I decided to concede the chairmanship of the committee on health and move to the minority,” she said in a statement.

“Kung ang pananatili ko sa mayorya ay ang pagiging kasabwat ko sa isang rehimen na marahas at walang pag-respeto sa karapatang pantao ay buong puso kong tinatanggap ang maging bahagi ng minorya,” the lady senator added.

(If sticking with the majority would mean I would be an accomplice to a brutal regime, I would gladly accept to be part of the minority.)

Hontiveros assured that her ouster as chair of the committee on health would not hinder her from pushing for universal healthcare or “intimidate me from defending democracy and human rights.”/ac/rga