Blue Ribbon gets first lady chair
SENATOR PIA S. CAYETANO has been elected as the chairperson of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee after Senator Francis N. Tolentino formally resigned from the position on Monday. She is the first woman to head the committee.
Senate Majority Leader Joel J. Villanueva announced Ms. Cayetano’s election as the head of the Senate committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations, which looks into cases of graft and corruption involving state officials.
In December, Mr. Tolentino said he was stepping down to honor his vow to serve his post for only a year and a half.
“In fulfillment of a sacred commitment to serve as Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman and Member of the Commission on Appointments for a concise term of one and a half years, I find it both a duty and an honor to uphold the essence of a prior agreement,” he told a news briefing on Dec. 19.
Ms. Cayetano previously served as the chairperson of the Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, Innovation, and Futures Thinking, which ensures that state programs align with the United Nations goals against poverty and improving health systems through research and development.
“The Senate has been in existence for 106 years providing the checks and balances in a bicameral system, so we’re very honored that Senator Pia Cayetano is the new chairperson,” Senate President Juan Miguel F. Zubiri said in plenary. — John Victor D. Ordoñez