Senator Mark Villar has been appointed chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, replacing Senator Sherwin Gatchalian following the recent leadership changes in the upper chamber.
The appointment came after acting Majority Leader Joel Villanueva moved for the change before the Senate adjourned session on Tuesday afternoon.
Despite losing the post, Gatchalian expressed confidence that Villar would be capable of handling the powerful committee given his background in business and government service.
“Si Mark, marami na rin siyang dinaanan ng mga iba’t ibang posisyon. Galing siya sa isang business family, so naiintindihan niya ang finance,” Gatchalian told reporters.
[Translation: Mark has already gone through various positions. He comes from a business family, so he understands finance.]
“Hawak siya ng malaking departamento like Department of Public Works and Highways so naiintindihan niya yung takbo ng public finance,” he added.
[Translation: He handled a major department like the Department of Public Works and Highways, so he understands how public finance works.]
“So ako naman nakikita ko na magiging maayos naman yung takbo ng finance committee,” Gatchalian said.
[Translation: I believe the finance committee will continue to function properly under him.]
Gatchalian also described the finance committee as one of the most influential panels in the Senate because it oversees the national budget.
“Ang finance committee kasi is a position of trust. Nung nahawakan ko yung one year, nakita ko yung power ng finance committee,” he said.
[Translation: The finance committee is a position of trust. When I handled it for one year, I saw the power of the finance committee.]
“Yan ang for me isa sa pinaka-powerful, kung hindi pinaka-powerful na committee dahil hawak mo yung pera ng buong bansa,” he added.
[Translation: For me, it is one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful committee because it handles the country’s money.]
Gatchalian became the fifth minority senator to lose a committee chairmanship after voting for Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, who lost to Senator Alan Peter Cayetano in the recent Senate presidency race.
