Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero came to the defense of Senator Rodante Marcoleta on Wednesday, July 30, amid criticisms surrounding his appointment as chairperson of the powerful Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, saying experience and competence—not seniority—should be the basis for judgment.

Escudero downplayed allegations questioning Marcoleta’s capability to lead the panel, noting that the criticisms appeared to have surfaced during the political heat of the Senate presidency race.

“That’s far from the course because I think these accusations were released during the campaign for the Senate Presidency,” Escudero said in an interview.

“Senator Marcoleta is not a newcomer—perhaps in the Senate, but not in the House. I served with him in the lower chamber. He’s been in Congress for quite some time. He’s a litigator, a practicing lawyer,” he added.

Escudero expressed confidence that Marcoleta, despite being a first-term senator, will effectively handle the responsibilities of the committee known for investigating government corruption.

“Neophyte or not, he will do a good job as the Blue Ribbon Committee chairperson and raise the flag of the institution through his stewardship,” Escudero said.

He also pushed back against the notion that newer or younger senators are less capable than their veteran counterparts.

“For me, being new is not a disability, just as being old is not an advantage. We are all equals in the Senate—whether new or old, long-serving or first-time. We are all senators elected by the people and we have one vote each,” he emphasized.

“It would be unfair, to say the least, to belittle the capability of someone just because they are new or young, and to assume that someone older or longer-serving is automatically more capable,” he added.

Marcoleta, who previously served multiple terms as a member of the House of Representatives, now chairs both the Blue Ribbon and the Trade, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship Committees in the Senate.