By Hannah Torregoza
Four senators are moving on after giving up their seats in the chamber.
(L-R) Senators Antonio Trillanes IV, Loren Legarda, Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan (FACEBOOK / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Senators Loren Legarda, Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan, and Antonio Trillanes IV, however, are far from leaving public service.
Legarda, who has been a lawmaker for 21 years has been elected as the new representative of the lone district of Antique province.
“We are determined to do more in Antique in the next three years than has been done in the last 30 years, and prove that every province has the potential to bring prosperity to its people,” Legarda had earlier said.
“I ran for Congress to bring my two decades of Senate work to the grassroots, and make Antique a role model for sustainable development for the rest of the country,” she also said.
Escudero, one of the youngest members of Congress at 28, is also graduating this 17th Congress.
Escudero chairs the committee on education, arts and culture, and the committee on banks, financial institutions and currencies.
In 2016, he ran for vice president but lost to Leni Robredo.
When the 18th Congress opens in July, Escudero will take over as governor of Sorsogon, his home province.
Honasan said he would return to private life and spend time with his family. Nevertheless, he said, he is open to accepting a Cabinet position should he be offered by the Duterte administration.
President Duterte had earlier nominated Honasan as secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), but his confirmation did not push through.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III said there is a possibility Honasan might be appointed to another post.
Trillanes said that while his Senate term is ending soon, his criticism of the President and his policies will continue and vowed to continue “to fight for truth.”
The former soldier said that after finishing his six-year Senate term, he might also consider a teaching post.
Other senators who are wrapping up their stint in the Senate are Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito and Paolo “Bam” Aquino IV who both ran for reelection in the recent 2019 midterm elections but lost.
Ejercito ran under the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) party of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and was also endorsed by the President. He failed to enter the Top 12 and instead ranked 13th in the partial and official tally of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Aquino ran under the Otso Diretso opposition coalition and ranked 14th in the Senate election.