Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, who emerged unopposed in his bid for the Senate presidency, on Friday said he still needed to talk to the majority regarding the request of Senator-elect Alan Peter Cayetano to head the powerful Blue Ribbon Committee.
Cayetano said earlier he would join the majority bloc in the Senate only if he would be given chairmanship of the Blue Ribbon Committee.
He disclosed that Zubiri, who is eyeing the Senate President post, asked him to join the majority considering their history of working together.
But Zubiri said he had already discussed the blue ribbon chairmanship issue with Senator Francis Tolentino who had accepted to lead the panel. “So it’s not my decision to make at this moment,” said Zubiri.
Zubiri said a number of senators are on vacation for the next two weeks and he could call for an initial meeting of the super majority upon their return.
“We can only make a decision then,” he said.
While Tolentino agreed to head the Blue Ribbon, he still needed the votes of the majority.
According to Cayetano, he would be able to do his job as a fiscalizer if he was given the Blue Ribbon Committee.
“But if you will me a give me committee where I cannot fiscalize or only a few will fiscalize or those who will fiscalize are in are in disagreement, that would be difficult,” Cayetano explained to Zubiri.
Cayetano likewise told Zubiri that if he believed in democracy “just like the 31 million Filipinos who voted for President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, he should also believe in fiscalizing.”
“So for those who did not vote for President-elect BBM, they also want a fiscalizer,” Cayetano said.
“So that’s the present status and perhaps, we will talk again a few weeks before the SONA because many are not in the country or busy organizing,” he added.