Alan Cayetano elected head of Senate blue ribbon committee

By Veronica Uy
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 07:48pm (Mla time) 08/06/2007

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=80922

MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE 2) Opposition Senator Alan Peter Cayetano has been elected chairman of the Senate blue-ribbon committee as 22 other members of the majority bloc got the chairmanships of important committees in the upper chamber.
The Senate majority, which includes the nine administration and six opposition senators, got the chairmanships of 23 of the 36 Senate committees.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada was chosen to head the Senate committee on labor, employment, and human resources development.Senate Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan, who by his position automatically chairs the committee on rules, was also elected chairman of the committee on accounts. Senator Juan Ponce-Enrile heads the committee on finance, which oversees the hearings on budget. The chairmanships of the committees on agriculture and food; banks, financial institutions, and currencies; and science and technology went to Senator Edgardo Angara.

Senator Richard Gordon chairs the committees on constitutional amendments, revision of codes and laws; government corporations and public enterprises; and tourism.

Senator Miguel Zubiri will head the committees on cooperatives; and urban planning, housing, and resettlement.

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago got the chairmanship of energy; and foreign relations committees; Senator Gregorio Honasan, head public order and Senator Manuel Lapid, games, amusement, and sports.

Senator Pia Cayetano: environment and natural resources; and health and demography; Senator Francis Escudero: justice and human rights; and ways and means; Senator Ramon Revilla Jr.: public works and public information.

Detained Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, meanwhile, got the chairmanship of the Senate committee on civil service and government reorganization.
The minority bloc got only nine committees.

Senator Benigno Aquino III: local government; Senator Rodolfo Biazon: national defense and security; Senator Manuel Roxas: trade and commerce; Senator Ana Consuelo Madrigal: cultural communities; peace, unification, and reconciliation; and youth, women, and family relations; Senator Loren Legarda got economic affairs; and social justice, welfare, and rural development.

Only three committees are without chairpersons: agrarian reform, public services, and ethics and privileges. Administration Senator Joker Arroyo, who was chairman of the Senate blue-ribbon committee in the 13th Congress, and opposition Senator Panfilo Lacson, preferred not to get any chairmanship.

In Malacañang, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Sergio Apostol said he hopes Cayetano will act like a true statesman.

"He is already a senator, we hope he will totally act like a gentleman and a senator," he said in a telephone interview.

Asked anew if Malacañang foresees more investigation coming following Cayetano’s election to the blue ribbon committee, Apostol said, "There are no anomalies in Malacañang. We have nothing to hide."

During his stint as member of the House of Representatives, Cayetano accused President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s family of maintaining a multi-million dollar account in Germany.

The Arroyos denied the allegation and Hypo Vereinsbank issued a certification that the Arroyo family had no account with them.

With a report from Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
Originally posted at 06:14 pm