Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero opted not to join the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, making him the only member of the new 13-member majority bloc who will not be part of the powerful oversight panel.
During a special session on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri announced that all majority bloc members were originally slated to join the committee, except Escudero, who requested not to be included.
All majority senators were designated as either regular or ex officio members.
“With the chairperson being elected, which is Senator Erwin Tulfo, and with three ex-officio members taken into account, I move that all majority members, with the exception of one, which is Senator Chiz Escudero, if requested to be the one not as a member of the committee, be elected as members of the said committee,” Zubiri said.
Escudero’s decision comes as he is facing a plunder complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly receiving kickbacks of P306 million and P280 million from various flood control projects.
The Blue Ribbon Committee is currently investigating alleged irregularities in government infrastructure projects, including flood control.
The committee is chaired by Senator Erwin Tulfo, who will retain his post, while Senators Panfilo Lacson and Francis Pangilinan were elected as vice chairpersons.
The Senate leadership, presided over by newly elected Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, formalized the committee structure during the session, which also included the election of members and leadership posts across various standing committees.
Meanwhile, Former Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III was elected Senate President Pro Tempore.
The upper chamber also elected Senator JV Ejercito as Senior Deputy Majority Leader, while Senator Joel Villanueva was chosen as Deputy Majority Leader.
Other key committee assignments include Senator Bam Aquino chairing the Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship; Senator Risa Hontiveros leading the Committees on Health, Women and Children; Sotto heading the Committees on Peace and Ethics; Pangilinan chairs the Committees on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes, Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, and Justice and Human Rights. and Senator Raffy Tulfo taking charge of the Committees on Public Services and Migrant Workers.
Lacson heads the Committee on Ways and Means and Erwin Tulfo was named chair of Social Justice and Energy.
Meanwhile, Ejercito was named Finance Committee chair, while Villanueva will head the Committee on Higher Education and Labor-related panels.
Gatchalian heads the Commission on Appointments, while Zubiri chairs the Committee on Foreign Relations and Senator Lito Lapid chairs the Committee on Games.
Members of the Commission on Appointments include Lacson, Zubiri, Villanueva, Hontiveros, Tulfo, and Ejercito.
The Blue Ribbon Committee, formally known as the Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations, is mandated to conduct inquiries in aid of legislation, particularly on alleged misconduct, anomalies, and irregularities involving public officials and government agencies.
