New Senate ‘super majority’ emerges
Credit to Author: JAVIER J. ISMAEL| Date: Thu, 06 Jun 2019 01:10:34 +0000
A SUPER majority bloc in the Senate has emerged after incumbent and newly-elected senators agreed to resolve their “quarrels” over committee chairmanships in the 18th Congress which would open on July 22.
Senate President Vicente Sotto 3rd said that 95 percent of the chairmanships of the more than 40 committees at the Senate have been decided.
“Only one to two committees remain under “minimal contentions,” he said.
Sotto met with the incumbent and newly proclaimed senators and discussed the chairmanships issue on Wednesday evening at the residence of Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao in Dasmarinas Village in Makati City.
Aside from tackling the committee chairmanships, Sotto said the dinner meeting hosted by Pacquiao was held to welcome incoming members of the Senate.
“It was an introduction and welcome dinner for the incoming senators by the current 17th Congress majority members. I gave some historical background of the present majority,” Sotto said.
Aside from Sotto, the majority senators in attendance were Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Majority leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, Loren Legarda, Richard Gordon, Sherwin Gatchalian, Joel Villanueva, Gregorio Honasan 2nd, Grace Poe, Maria Lourdes “Nancy” Binay, Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara; Senators-elect Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Manuel “Lito” Lapid ,Christopher “Bong” Go, Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa, Maria Imelda Josefa “Imee” Marcos and Francis Tolentino.
Sotto said Senator-elect Pilar Juliana “Pia” Cayetano called him to say that she was abroad and could not attend the meeting. Senators Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel 3rd and Panfilo Lacson had family events that they could not leave.
Sen. Cynthia Villar, who refused to sign a resolution supporting the continued leadership of Sotto in the 18th Congress, was not present at the dinner meeting.
The senators submitted a list of their preferred committees in the meeting that lasted for about two hours.
They agreed to meet again next week to finalize what they have discussed and initially agreed on.
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