Hontiveros, Aquino loses chairmanship of basic education, health committees
By Dhel Nazario
At A Glance
- Senators from the new minority bloc lost several committee chairmanships following the reorganization under Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, with new committee heads immediately designated.
- Senator Risa Hontiveros lost the Senate health panel to Senator Bong Go, while Senator Loren Legarda took over the basic education committee previously chaired by Senator Bam Aquino.
- Senators Erwin Tulfo and Raffy Tulfo also lost key posts, with Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta taking over the Games and Amusement and Public Services committees, respectively.
With the formation of the new majority bloc under Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, some senators from the new minority bloc were stripped of their committee chairmanships after new ones were designated.
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano takes his oath as the 33rd Senate President of the Philippines during the chamber’s plenary session on Monday, May 11, 2026.
Senator Risa Hontiveros loses chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, which is now chaired once again by Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, who previously handled it before Hontiveros.
Go retains chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Sports.
Senator Loren Legarda will chair the Senate Committee on Basic Education, previously held by Senator Bam Aquino.
Legarda retains chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Culture and the Arts,
Senator Erwin Tulfo loses the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Games and Amusement, which now belongs to Senator Jinggoy Estrada. Estrada also gets the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security.
His brother, Senator Raffy Tulfo, loses the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Public Services, which now belongs to Senator Rodante Marcoleta.
Senator Joel Villanueva gets the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education.
Senator Pia Cayetano retains the chairmanships of the Senate Committees on Ways and Means and on Sustainable Development Goals, Innovation, and Futures Thinking.
Senator Robinhood Padilla retains chairmanship of the Senate committees on Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs as well as Public Information and Mass Media.