Mark Villar moves to Senate majority bloc
Sen. Mark Villar joined the Senate majority bloc on Thursday, Oct. 8, per Majority Leader Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri.
Villar was appointed into the Commission on Appointments as a member, taking Zubiri's seat, and the Senate Committee on Public Works as chairperson, replacing Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente Sotto III.
"Mr. President, pursuant to Section 18, Article 6 of the 1987 Constitution, I move that Senator Mark Villar be elected as a member of the Commission on Appointments; vice, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri. That's myself. I'm giving way to Senator Villar, Mr. President," Zubiri said during the Senate plenary.
"And on the part of the majority, pursuant to Rule 10, Section 13 of the Rules of the Senate, I move to elect Senator Mark Villar as chairperson of the Committee on Public Works; vice Senator Vicente Soto III,” Zubiri continued.
The motion was seconded by Sotto. No objections were raised.
Villar joins Zubiri, Sotto, and Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian in the majority, along with Sens. Bam Aquino, JV Ejercito, Francis "Chiz" Escudero, Risa Hontiveros, Panfilo Lacson, Lito Lapid, Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, Erwin Tulfo, Raffy Tulfo, and Joel Villanueva.
The 9-member minority, led by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, are Sens. Pia Cayetano, Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, Jinggoy Estrada, Loren Legarda, Rodante Marcoleta, Imee Marcos, Robin Padilla, and Camille Villar. Only five have been active members of the minority.
Dela Rosa has been in hiding since he slipped out of the Senate building on May 14, supposedly to avoid being served the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
Estrada and Marcoleta are currently detained at the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas, Quezon City on plunder charges.
Legarda has been out of the country since Aug. 2 on medical leave.
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