Senator-elect Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Wednesday, June 29 took his oath of office before Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo at the Supreme Court.
The returning senator was accompanied by his mother, outgoing Sorsogon Rep. Evelina Escudero and his sister, incoming Sorsogon Rep. Marie Bernadette Escudero.
In a statement, the outgoing governor of Sorsogon said he wants to be “the voice of the local government units” in the Senate.
Escudero said he wants to ensure that local government units (LGUs) are empowered and autonomous as mandated in the 1987 Constitution and Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1992.
Aside from pushing for LGU empowerment, the incoming senator also assured he will work closely with the incoming Marcos administration and his colleagues in the Senate to pass the government’s proposed P5.2-trillion spending package for 2023.
He said it is necessary to ensure that next year’s budget would be utilized well to pump prime the economy and provide the much-needed assistance to small businesses and the agriculture sector still hurting from the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Escudero was voted into office by more than 20 million Filipinos in the recent May 9, 2022 senatorial election giving him his third six-year mandate in the Senate.
He served the Upper Chamber for two consecutive terms in 2007-2013 and 2013-2019.