Press Release - Senate elects Chiz Escudero as new Senate President; Cayetano is new Committee on Accounts chair

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano is the new chair of the Senate Committee on Accounts following a revamp of the Senate in Monday's session that saw Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero elected as the new Senate President.

It was Cayetano who nominated Escudero to the Senate leadership after Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri resigned as Senate President.

"With all humility but with pride, I nominate someone I respect, admire, and look forward to being our leader and being able to contribute and do my part under his leadership. I respectfully and humbly nominate Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero as Senate President," Cayetano motioned at the session floor on May 20, 2024.

"We have a very passionate leader and a very prepared leader kung magkakaisa tayo, at sana po ay magkaisa tayo," he told his colleagues.

Cayetano, Escudero, and Zubiri all first met in 1998 as colleagues at the 11th Congress of the House of Representatives. This is why at the floor, Cayetano took time to honor both of them as the incoming and outgoing leaders, respectively.

"In 1998, with pride as the youngest member of the 11th Congress, I walked into the Batasang Pambansa at a historic moment where the first batch elected under the 1987 constitution graduated in the first batch where neophytes took the office. That's where I met Miguel Zubiri and where I met Chiz Escudero," Cayetano said.

He honored Zubiri as well for his strong leadership since July 2022.

"On behalf of everyone, Senate President Zubiri, maraming maraming salamat po! We all have gratitude in our heart for the service that you have given. We can all give him a hand!" the independent senator said, to which the chamber responded in applause for Zubiri.

With Escudero's election, changes were made in the leadership team as well with the resignations of Senator Joel Villanueva resigned as Majority Leader, and Senator Loren Legarda as Senate Pro-Tempore.

Major committees such as Finance and Accounts were deemed vacant as well with the resignation of Senators Sonny Angara and Nancy Binay.

Replacing them are Senators Francis Tolentino as Majority Leader, Jinggoy Estrada as Senate Pro-Tempore, Grace Poe as Chairperson of the Committee on Finance, and Alan