SENATOR Franklin Drilon, who was ousted as Senate President pro-tempore, is now the new minority leader, with Senator Bam Aquino as his assistant minority leader in the newly-organized Senate minority bloc.
Aside from Drilon and Aquino, now in the minority bloc include Senators Antonio Trillanes IV, Francis Pangilinan, Risa Hontiveros, and Leila De Lima, who in a formal letter also withdrew her committee chairmanship.
On Monday, Hontiveros, Aquino, Pangilinan, and Drilon were stripped of their committee chairmanship through a motion made at the start of the plenary session by Senator Manny Pacquiao.
Senators have claimed that the "blurred lines" between minority and majority are causing them problems.
Pangilinan said that with this new development, the minority in the Senate will play a role that will help the present administration in the passage of important bills and at the same time would strengthen the minority bloc. (Camille Balagtas/SunStar Philippines)