Senator-elect Alan Peter S. Cayetano is willing to join the Senate majority bloc in the 19th Congress but this depends on whether the ‘’super majority’’ would hand him the chairmanship of the powerful Senate Blue Ribbon committee.
The former House Speaker's condition of joining the Senate majority bloc was revealed during a media interview yesterday.
When asked for comment, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri told Senate reporters through his Viber account that he needs to consult the "majority’’ on the ‘’request of my friend Senator Alan Cayetano.’’
‘’We have already discussed this with Senator (Francis) Tolentino and he had already accepted the chairmanship of the Blue Ribbon Committee so it’s not my decision to make at this moment,’’ he said.
‘’Unfortunately, a number of senators are on vacation for the next two weeks before i can call for an initial meeting of the super majority. We can only make a decision then. Thank you,’’ he added.
Before the Senate adjourned sine die last June 1, Zubiri has announced that the super majority’s started farming out of committee chairmanships. Toleninto was one of them.
Tolentino is a political ally of the Dutertes.
Yesterday, Tolentino revealed that his Senate Blue Ribbon committee in the 19th Congress would not treat persons appearing before the committee like criminals.
The vice presidential running mate of former Senator Ferdinand ‘’Bongbong’’ R. Marcos was Davao city Mayor Sara Duterte, daughter of outgoing President Duterte.
Both Marcos and Sara were recently proclaimed winners in the May 9, 2022 presidential and vice presidential races.
Zubiri ran and won as a senatorial candidate of the UniTeam of Bongbong and Sara. He is a re-electionist.
In the 2016 vice presidential race, Cayetano hit the young Marcos on the martial law rule his father, the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.