DUTERTE'S ALLIES REMOVE LP SENATORS FROM COMMITTEE POSITIONS
Senators allied with President Rodrigo Duterte replaced Sen. Franklin Drilon as Senate president pro tempore yesterday, in a move led by Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao. They also replaced three other Liberal Party (LP) senators who used to lead committees: Francis Pangilinan, who used to chair the committee on agriculture; Risa Hontiveros, as chair of the committee on health; and Benigno Aquino IV, as chair of the committee on education. Sen. Leila de Lima, whose arrest the administration accomplished last Friday, is likely to be replaced as chair of the committee on electoral reforms.
We will not be silenced. Our nation deserves no less. Democracy demands dissent. VICE PRESIDENT MARIA LEONOR “LENI” ROBREDO
Drilon, Pangilinan, Aquino, Hontiveros, Trillanes compose the new minority bloc
Robredo says shakeup is ‘characteristic of administration obsessed with monopolizing power’
Recto, new Senate President Pro Tempore, suggests Trillanes as temporary Minority Leader
Senator Franklin Drilon and other Liberal Party (LP) senators were ousted from key positions Monday, just three days after staunch administration critic and LP member Senator Leila de Lima was arrested on illegal drug charges.
In a shakeup that caught LP members by surprise, Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao moved to declare the post of Senate President Pro Tempore, which was occupied by Drilon, vacant.
Drilon did not oppose the move. He was replaced by Sen. Ralph Recto, former minority leader.
LP senators Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, and Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros also lost the chairmanship of their committees.
“If this is the price to pay for showing up at Edsa and defending the truth. So be it,” Aquino said.
Pangilinan and Hontiveros promptly declared that they were joining the new minority.
Others in the new minority bloc are Drilon, Aquino and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, another vocal critic of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Recto suggested that Trillanes be temporarily named as minority leader until the members of the new bloc decide among themselves on who the new minority leader would be.
Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo, also an LP stalwart, said in a statement that the shakeup in the Senate is “charac- teristic of an administration obsessed with monopolizing power and intent on marginalizing those who have opposing views.”
“This has happened before. In the past, this paved the way for a one-man rule,” she said, referring to the Marcos rule.
“We will not be silenced. Our nation deserves no less. Democracy demands dissent.” s
Aquino, who chaired the committee on education, was replaced by Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero while Hontiveros was replaced by Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito as chair of the committee on health.
Pangilinan was removed as chair of the committee on agriculture and replaced by Sen. Cynthia Villar.
De Lima, who is currently detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center at Camp Crame, is expected to be removed as chair of the committee on electoral reforms.
De Lima was arrested Friday for her alleged involvement in the illegal drug trading and distribution at the National Bilibid Prison, based on testimonies by high-profile drug personalities detained at the state penitentiary.
The senator has been criticizing Duterte and his bloody war on illegal drugs since she was head of the Commission on Human Rights and Duterte was mayor of Davao City, where thousands of alleged criminals and drug personalities were killed.