Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan has been elected as the new chair of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes, replacing Senator Robin Padilla.
The change in leadership was approved during Tuesday’s plenary session after Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito moved for Pangilinan’s election, a motion seconded by Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada and met with no objections from colleagues.
Pangilinan, a lawyer who previously headed the same committee, vowed to handle the role with integrity and focus on public interest. “I accept this responsibility with humility and a firm resolve to safeguard the democratic ideals enshrined in our Constitution,” he said. He stressed that any constitutional change “must be anchored on [the people’s] aspirations and welfare” and pursued through a “thorough, principled, and participatory process.”
Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva earlier acknowledged that legal expertise was a factor in choosing Pangilinan for the post. Padilla, who had championed amendments through a constitutional convention, recently refiled a resolution seeking to revise the 1987 Constitution.
