THE Senate on Thursday formally elected Senator Mark Villar to the Commission on Appointments (CA) and installed him as chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Works, officially confirming his transfer from the minority to the majority bloc.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri moved for Villar’s election to both posts, which was carried without objection. “Yes. We just elected him to the CA and Public Works committee as part of the majority,” Zubiri confirmed, solidifying the shift in the chamber’s political alignment.
Villar takes over the powerful CA post previously held by Zubiri himself. The commission is responsible for reviewing and confirming presidential appointments to Cabinet posts, diplomatic missions, senior military ranks, and other key constitutional offices.
He also succeeds Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente “Tito” Sotto III as chair of the Public Works Committee. Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano was elected to fill the CA membership seat vacated by Senator Loren Legarda, who remains on extended medical leave.
The move comes two weeks after Villar voted in favor of reconsidering the original July 6 ruling that had set the conviction threshold in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial at 16 votes — two‑thirds of the full 24‑member Senate.
That vote aligned him with the majority‑backed motion to recalculate the threshold based only on senators able to actively participate in proceedings. Following his transfer, the majority now stands at 14 members, while the minority has 10 — four of whom are currently absent: Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta are detained on plunder charges, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa is in hiding amid an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, and Senator Loren Legarda remains abroad on medical leave.
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