MANILA, Philippines – Ipinasilip ng bagong halal na Senate President Vicente Sotto III ang mga pagbabagong ipapatupad sa pamunuan ng komite ng higher chamber kasunod ng pag-alis sa kanyang hinalinhan na si Senate President Francis Escudero.
Sa isang panayam nitong Martes, sinabi ni Sotto na nais ni Risa Hontiveros ang paghawak ng isa pang komite.
“She’s looking at being the chairperson of the committee on health,” aniya.
Ibinunyag naman ni Sotto na isa si Hontiveros sa mga contenders para pamunuan ang Blue Ribbon committee kasunod ng pagbabago ng pamunuan ng Senado.
Ngunit tinanggihan ito ni Hontiveros.
“Yes indeed we’ve asked her… We asked if she was interested and she herself said no. You better ask her why,” ani Sotto.
Si Sen. Ping Lacson ay napiling humalili kay Sen. Rodante Marcoleta bilang Blue Ribbon chair.
“[It’s a] very crucial and very important committee, it is the most powerful committee. It’s the only committee in the Senate that can call a hearing motu proprio without a resolution, a bill, without a privilege speech, whatever. That’s how powerful the chair of Blue Ribbon Committee is,” wika ni Sotto.
Samantala, sinabi ni Sotto na interesado si Sen. Loren Legarda na pangasiwaan ang committee on defense, at idinagdag na maaari ding ibigay sa kanya ang panel on foreign relations.
Si Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, na sumuporta kay Sotto bilang Senate president, ay mananatili sa kanyang posisyon bilang chairman ng finance committee.
“We all feel that he would be able to cope with the rigors of being the chair of the committee on finance,” saad ni Sotto.
Ayon kay Sotto, sina Sen. Bam Aquino at Sen. Kiko Pangilinan ay mananatili sa kani-kanilang chairmanship para sa mga panel sa edukasyon at agrikultura.
“We will be discussing it later, but there are possibilities of the committee on labor, because it is originally a preference of Sen. Raffy Tulfo. I think the committee on tourism, Sen. Camille Villar, is interested, or Sen. Lito Lapid,” sabi ni Sotto. RNT/MND
