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Senator Francis 'Chiz' Escudero takes his oath as the new Senate President on May 20, 2024.   Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

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SENATE PRESIDENT

RG Cruz

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:900px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/171628325164220240520-senate-leadership-escudero-MD4.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(51, 51, 51);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline !important;--darkreader-inline-color:#c8c3bc;--darkreader-inline-bgcolor:#181a1b">Senator Francis &#x27;Chiz&#x27; Escudero takes his oath as the new Senate President on May 20, 2024.   Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</span> </span></span></span></div><p>MANILA (UPDATED) -- Senate President Francis Escudero on Tuesday said he only started campaigning for a change in Senate leadership last week.</p><p>Escudero said he began working on the change last Thursday and it was finalized on Sunday night.  </p><p>He said 15 senators signed individual resolutions of support for his Senate presidency. He declined to give copies to the media.</p><p>He also declined to share how he became Senate President, saying he did not want to reopen old wounds.</p><p>&quot;Ang pagpapalit ng Senate President is always arrived at through a gentlemanly conduct. I think 9 out of 10 except nung mga unang panahon, ang Senate President di tinatanggal–nagbibitiw, so di na kailangan declaring vacant,&quot; Escudero said. </p><p>(Replacing a Senate President is always done in a gentlemanly fashion, except in the olden times. The Senate President is not ousted.)</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>ROMUALDEZ AND THE PALACE  </strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span id="isPasted" style="letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline !important">Meanwhile, Senate</span><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline !important;--darkreader-inline-color:#e8e6e3"> President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada maintained that neither he, the Palace, nor Speaker Martin Romualdez had a hand in the ouster of former Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri.</span></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/21/-no-outside-forces-jinggoy-says-palace-speaker-had-no-hand-in-zubiri-s-ouster-1556">&#x27;No outside forces&#x27;: Jinggoy says Palace, Speaker had no hand in Zubiri&#x27;s ouster</a></div><p>Escudero said he only saw Romualdez during the birthday of some lawmakers, including his sister who is a congresswoman.</p><p>Escudero also confirmed that he had accepted the Palace&#x27;s invitation to the Senate for a dinner on Tuesday night.</p><p>&quot;Mamayang gabi pa lang kami unang magkikita marahil dahil may imbitasyon ang Palasyo sa mga senador mamaya. Pangatlo na ito, yung unang 2 di ako nagpunta… It’s a social dinner lang,&quot; he said.</p><p>(I will only see them tonight for a social dinner. This is the third and I&#x27;ve missed the first 2, so I have to go.)</p><p>Meanwhile, Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa said no one from the Palace and the House reached out to him.</p><div><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/21/bato-voted-in-favor-of-zubiri-ouster-tolentino-1230" id="isPasted" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(93, 155, 192);text-decoration:none;user-select:auto;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);--darkreader-inline-color:#69a2c5;--darkreader-inline-bgcolor:#181a1b">Bato says sorry to Zubiri, explains vote backing Escudero</a></div><p>Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino said claims that Malacanang had a role in the change of Senate leadership have yet to be proven.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>SENATE COMMITTEE CHAIRMANSHIPS </strong></div><div>  </div><p>Escudero said senators would fix the chairmanships of Senate committees on Wednesday. He said he was not expecting to see a lot of changes.</p><p>He noted that he gave up his chairmanship of the Committee on Higher Education.</p><p>He also confirmed that Dela Rosa, who signed a resolution for his Senate presidency, would retain his chairmanship of the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs.</p><p>Escudero said it would be up to Dela Rosa to decide if he would stop his “PDEA leaks” probe, which some suspected cost Zubiri his job. </p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/21/new-senate-leaders-emerge-as-some-panels-remain-vacant-1159">New Senate leaders emerge as some panels remain vacant</a></div><p>But Escudero advised Dela Rosa to file a resolution as he pointed out that motu propio investigations are only called in times when the chamber is in recess and there is a pressing issue.</p>

<p>Senate President Francis Escudero on Tuesday said he only started campaigning for a change in Senate leadership last week. </p>

Senate President Francis Escudero on Tuesday said he only started campaigning for a change in Senate leadership last week.

Escudero says he started campaigning for Senate presidency last week

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Escudero says he started campaigning for Senate presidency last week

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 21, 2024 05:10 PM PHT

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Updated May 21, 2024 10:04 PM PHT

Read More:

Escudero

Zubiri

Chiz

Senate

Senate presidency

Bato Dela Rosa

Jinggoy Estrada

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