20th Congress starts; Chiz seen to keep post

With the opening of the 20th Congress, Senate President Francis Escudero is poised to maintain his leadership of the chamber.

- By NEIL JAYSON SERVALLOS

Despite the controversy over his handling of the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte, Escudero appears to be still in control of the Senate, at least based on verbal commitments of support from many of his colleagues.

If the Senate were to choose its leader now, Escudero will retain his post hands down, according to Sen. Joel Villanueva, citing outcome of his informal talks with colleagues.

"I've talked with many senators and just like the majority of the members of the incoming 20th Congress, I am also in support of the current SP," Villanueva told reporters yesterday.

He said that in the last two to three weeks, he had spoken to 13 senators who voiced their support for Escudero. He did not name the senators. "I am confident because I talked to the majority of the senators," he said. "Sen. Escudero enjoys the support of the majority of members."

Villanueva cited Escudero's work ethic and leadership style as key factors that attracted support.

"Basically, if you look at his accomplishments... if he seeks help for a certain measure, we will be spending midnight oil literally in the Senate," Villanueva said.

"For me, it's easy to make a decision because we're result-oriented, many bills passed and at the same time, the respect of the senator," he added.

However, Villanueva also acknowledged that his colleagues may change their minds. "Of course every day is another day. I don't know if they will change their mind," he said.

In a separate interview, Sen. Erwin Tulfo said he and his brother Raffy were among the 13 senators backing Escudero's leadership.

He said he and his brother decided to align themselves with the majority bloc. "Let's be with the majority," said Senator Raffy and I said, OK," Tulfo said.