Here are the new Senate committee chairpersons following Gatchalian's appointment
The Senate has begun reorganizing its internal structure now that a quorum has been reached following the majority bloc's continued absence.
On Wednesday, June 3, minority senators were finally able to convene after Sen. Francis Escudero from the majority made a surprising switch to their side. This led to Sen. Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian being elected as the new Senate president pro tempore, replacing Sen. Loren Legarda.
The shakeup then led to major reshuffling of committee leadership, with several senators being appointed to head some of the chamber's most influential panels, per The Philippine STAR.
Among the new appointments, Sen. Erwin Tulfo was named chairperson of both the Blue Ribbon Committee and the Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations, placing him at the forefront of future inquiries on government corruption. Previously, the Blue Ribbon Committee was chaired by Sen. Pia Cayetano.
Below are the full list of newly confirmed committee chairpersons:
- Chairman of Blue Ribbon Committee - Erwin Tulfo
- Chairman of the Committee on Rules - Juan Miguel Zubiri
- Chairman of the Committee on Finance - JV Ejercito
- Chairman of the Committee on the National Defense - Tito Sotto
- Chairman of the Committee on Public Order and Committee on Accounts - Panfilo "Ping" Lacson
- Chairman of the Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations and Social Welfare and Rural Development - Erwin Tulfo
- Chairman of the Committee on Public Services - Raffy Tulfo
- Chairman of the Committee on Basic Education - Bam Aquino
- Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture - Kiko Pangilinan
- Chairman of the Committee on Health - Risa Hontiveros
- Chairman of the Committee on Games and Amusement - Lito Lapid
- Chairman of the Committee on Housing - Chiz Escudero
- Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations - Juan Miguel Zubiri
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano later insisted the leadership change was illegal, claiming that the session lacked a proper quorum.
"Ang majority po ng 24 ay trese po. Trese po ang numero," he said in a Facebook video. "This is an illegal coup de etat na may kasamang pagbabasura ng ating Constitution."
The tension between the majority and minority blocs began after Sen. Jinggoy Estrada surrendered himself to authorities on June 1 for his plunder charges. Afterwards, majority senators decided to skip the next two sessions, whereas the minority members were all present.
Because of this, the minority bloc has now urged Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano to resign. They also appealed to their colleagues to attend sessions.
The majority bloc meanwhile defended their absence from plenary sessions, stating they intended to "protect the integrity" of ongoing Senate investigations amid a change of numbers in the chamber.
