MANILA -- House Speaker Feliciano "Sonny" Belmonte announced in his weekly briefing that there are only 23 committees that are yet to be filled with chairmen and its members.
“Fortunately most of the committees have been informed...the Committee on Appropriations is one of the important committees that hasn't been filled up yet,” he said while assuring that it will be formally formed by Monday or Tuesday of next week.
Representative Emilio Abaya (first district, Cavite) is expected to chair the appropriations committee. The group's function is to scrutinize the annual budget.
The Committee on Basic Education kicked off the work of House committees Wednesday by going over the bills referred to it while the Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms are set to start hearings on the postponement of barangay and Sanggunian Kabataan (SK) elections on Wednesday.
In the last session day this week, Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II read out the following 11 committee appointments:
* Representative Albert Garcia (second district, Bataan) to Committee on Trade and Industry;
* Representative Ronald Cosalan (lone district, Benguet) to Committee on Public Works;
* Representative Rene Relampagos (first district, Bohol) to Committee on Human Rights;
* Representative Ben Evardone (lone district, Eastern Samar to Committee on Public Information;
* Representative Manuel Agyao (lone district, Kalinga) to Committee on Bases Conversion;
* Representative Mary Mitzi Cajayon (second district, Caloocan City) to Committee on Globalization;
* Representative Herminia Roman (first district, Bataan) to Committee on Veterans Affairs;
* Representative Amado Bagatsing (fifth district, Manila) to Committee on Games and Amusements
* Representative Salvio Fortuno (fifth district, Camarines Sur to Committee on Bicol Recovery;
* Representative Herminaldo Mandanas (second district, Batangas) to Committee on Ways and Means; and
* Representative Sonny Angara (lone district, Aurora) to Committee on Higher Education. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)