Sen. Villar gives way, Senate settles CA membership

Senator Manuel Villar Jr. gave up his seat in the Commission on Appointments (CA) so that the Senate could finally settle the committee's composition, Senate Majority Floor Leader Vicente "Tito" Sotto III said on Monday. "Hero nanaman si Villar. Sa Senate presidency issue siya rin ang nag hero (Villar is the hero once again. In the issue of the Senate presidency, he was also the hero)," Sotto told reporters in an interview on Monday. Villar and Senator Francis Pangilinan earlier gave up their bid for the Senate Presidency so that the senators could "unite" behind "compromise candidate" Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile. This time, Sotto said Villar gave up his seat so that two members of the minority - Senate Minority Floor Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and Senator Joker Arroyo - would both be given seats in the CA. Aside from Cayetano and Arroyo, also sitting in the CA are Senators Franklin Drilon, Ralph Recto, Francis Escudero, Serge Osmeña, Gregorio Honasan, Jinggoy Estrada, Edgardo Angara, Ramon Bong Revilla, and Miriam Defensor-Santiago. Last week, Cayetano halted the announcement of the CA composition, saying that the method for picking the members was disadvantageous to the minority. On Monday, Cayetano thanked the senators for giving the minority two seats. He noted, however, that it was not about who sits in the CA but how the Senate arrives at the membership. The CA is composed of 25 persons, with the Senate president as its head, and 12 senators and 12 congressmen as its members. The Constitution gives the commission the duty of confirming all appointments made by the President of the Philippines, except those of the Ombudsman and Supreme Court Justices. The CA discusses and deliberates on nominations at the standing committee level and at the plenary session. Nominations or appointments may end up being confirmed, rejected or by-passed. Meanwhile, Sotto also announced on the floor on Monday the members of the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET). This includes Senators Honasan, Angara, Pangilinan, Lito Lapid, Pia Cayetano, and Loren Legarda. Honasan will be replaced by Escudero and Angara by Senator Teofisto Guingona III on July 1, 2011, said Sotto. The Philippine Constitution mandates the SET to render judgment on all protest cases regarding the election and the qualification of senators and members of the House of Representatives. -VVP, GMANews.TV