Senate President Francis ‘Chiz’ G. Escudero on Thursday (May 23) announced that the new leadership has successfully filled up all the Upper Chamber’s standing committees as it adjourned sine die yesterday.
During today’s Kapihan sa Senado, the seasoned legislator announced that the senators reached a consensus to finalize the committee assignments and ensure that Senate committees can proceed with their hearings even during the congressional recess.
Escudero, however, said that the Committee on Youth was left open, as there were plans to merge it again with the Committee on Sports chaired by Senator Bong Go.
Apart from those who stepped down due to recent resignations, the majority of senators have retained their committee chairmanships, he added.
The new committee assignments are as follows:
- Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations (Blue Ribbon): Sen. Pia Cayetano
- Accounts: Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano
- Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform: Sen. Cynthia Villar
- Banks, Financial Institutions, and Currencies: Sen. Mark Villar
- Basic Education: Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian
- Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation: Sen. Ramon Revilla, Jr.
- Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes: Sen. Robinhood Padilla
- Cooperatives: Sen. Imee Marcos
- Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs: Sen. Robinhood Padilla
- Culture and the Arts: Sen. Loren Legarda
- Economic Affairs: Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri
- Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation: Sen. Imee Marcos
- Energy: Sen. Pia Cayetano
- Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change: Sen. Cynthia Villar
- Ethics and Privileges: Sen. Francis Tolentino
- Finance: Sen. Grace Poe
- Foreign Relations: Sen. Imee Marcos
- Games and Amusement: Sen. Lito Lapid
- Government Corporations and Public Enterprises: Sen. Mark Villar
- Health and Demography: Sen. Lawrence Go
- Higher, Technical and Vocational Education: Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano
- Justice and Human Rights: Sen. Sonny Angara
- Labor, Employment, and Human Resources Development: Sen. Joel Villanueva
- Local Government- Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito
- Migrant Workers: Sen. Raffy Tulfo
- National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification, and Reconciliation: Sen. Jinggoy Estrada
- Public Information and Mass Media: Sen. Robinhood Padilla
- Public Order and Dangerous Drugs: Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa
- Public Services: Sen. Raffy Tulfo
- Public Works: Sen. Ramon Revilla, Jr.
- Rules: Sen. Francis Tolentino
- Science and Technology: Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano
- Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development: Sen. Imee Marcos
- Sports: Sen. Lawrence Go
- Sustainable Development Goals, Innovation and Futures Thinking: Sen. Nancy Binay
- Tourism: Sen. Lito Lapid
- Trade, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship: Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano
- Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement: Sen. Imee Marcos
- Ways and Means: Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian
- Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality: Sen. Risa Hontiveros
Serving as ex-officio members are Escudero, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, Tolentino, and Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III.