SENATE President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Friday indicated there was no clear decision yet on who will succeed Senator Panfilo Lacson as chairman of the powerful Senate Blue Ribbon Committee..
Sotto earlier formalized the designation of neophyte Senator Erwin Tulfo as the acting chairperson of the committee.
Sotto said the Blue Ribbon Committee will hold a meeting after Tulfo comes home from his official trip abroad. Then they will discuss the chairmanship as Senator Pia Cayetano has also expressed interest on the position.
“We will meet first, then we will discuss the possibilities, Sotto told reporters.
Asked if Pia Cayetano has the upper hand on account of seniority and the fact that she previously led the panel, Sotto said they would have to consult with the committee on the issue.
“It would be better if I don’t make that exclusive decision,” he added.
Tulfo earlier welcomed his designation as the acting chairperson of the Blue Ribbon, hoping that the panel would soon find a permanent chairman.
Cayetano, meanwhile, said she is also considering the possibility of being the chairperson of the committee which she chaired from January 2024 to June 2025, during the 19th Congress.
Cayetano, a lawyer, is one of the five candidates earlier identified by Sotto to possibly replace Lacson as committee chairman, along with Senators Francis Pangilinan, JV Ejercito, Raffy Tulfo, and Risa Hontiveros.
However, Pangilinan, Ejercito, and Raffy Tulfo have already turned down the offer.
Lacson stepped down on Monday as Blue Ribbon chairman, citing as reason what he called dissatisfaction among other senators on the “direction” of the legislative inquiry on the alleged anomalous flood control project.
