Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said Tuesday they were bracing for a battle for the committees in the Senate.
He made the statement even as he downplayed the impending battle for the Senate presidency because he said, there was no need to change Senate President Vicente Sotto III.
“There is a battle among the committees, Zubiri said amid the reports that newly elected Senator Francis Tolentino would be fielded by the Hugpong ng Pagbabago bloc to snatch the Senate presidency from Sotto.
Tolentino, who served as a political adviser of President Rodrigo Duterte, ran under the HNP, the regional party founded by presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.
The HNP endorsed the senatorial bid of Tolentino and 12 other candidates in May 13 midterm elections.
President Duterte also campaigned for Tolentino and his chosen senatorial aspirants.
Tolentino, a lawyer, a former MMDA chairman, has also been reported as eying the Blue Ribbon committee, which is led by Senator Richard Gordon.
Former Presidential aide Christopher Go has aired his desire to get the health committee, which is led by outgoing Senator JV Ejercito.
Ejercito failed in his reelection bid for a second term.
Another neophyte in the Senate, former police chief, and Customs director Ronald dela Rosa wants the public order and dangerous drugs committee from Senator Panfilo Lacson.
Sotto said the chairmanship of the committees in the Senate was not chosen by the Senate President but elected by the majority.
Asked if he saw Tolentino using the senate presidency race to corner the committees he wanted, Sotto replied, “I don’t know, that is your words. I’d rather not comment about motive or whatever.
“What am saying is that in the Senate, the chairmanships are dictated by the majority, agreed by the majority. It is not the Senate President who can give out the chairmanships.”
Sotto also said the Senate presidency was always at the pleasure of the members of the majority.
Senator Manny Pacquiao confirmed the battle on the committee chairmanships but believed it to be a minor problem that they could resolve. He also said there was an alternative solution to the rift over the committee chairmanships.
He said some incoming senators had aired their preference for the specific committees led by the incumbent senators. He said the committees they wanted were being held by the incumbent senators.
He said it would be an insult if an incumbent senator was stripped of his committee chairmanship and conferred it to a new senator.
