Miriam gets Senate committee, extends leave

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago was finally given a committee chairmanship after she “kissed and made up” with Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile.

After a meeting late Tuesday, Enrile agreed to give Santiago the Senate committee on constitutional amendments, revision of codes and laws.

According to Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, he brokered the meeting between Enrile and Santiago with the help of Senators Manuel Villar Jr. and Gregorio Honasan.

“The meeting started out very cordial and the issues were brought out... After the things were discussed, we all left in a very jubilant mood,” Sotto said.

Villar came with Santiago while Enrile arrived with his chief of staff Gigi Reyes. 

Sotto and Honasan arrived later at the meeting that was held at a restaurant in Shangri-La Hotel, Makati City.

The dinner lasted for over an hour. Villar footed the bill.

In Wednesday’s session, Sotto formally nominated Santiago to head the Senate committee on constitutional amendments.

It was the last committee left unassigned since the Senate announced the chairmanships of the 37 standing committees last Monday.

Santiago may also get a seat at the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA).

With this development, Sotto expressed confidence that the Senate will be “very cooperative” with the Aquino administration but stressed it would still remain an “independent Senate.” 

Asked about their “reconciliation,” Enrile said he and Santiago had settled their differences.

“I was requested by Manny Villar to meet with Sen. Santiago (Tuesday) night at Shangri-La Makati. I confided to her, I asked her what was her reason for having a little irritation against me. Well, she explained, and then I said that I never said that, I’ve never done that. And she understood... she kissed me on the cheeks,” Enrile said.

Enrile remarked that Santiago is his goddaughter “and I am the ninong (godfather),” Enrile said.

Enrile said he decided to allocate the last committee to Santiago, which is “fit for her because she is a constitutionalist.”

“The constitutional amendment, revisions and law, that’s a big committee,” he said.

Now that everything is well between the two of them, Enrile said Santiago is likely to join the majority.

Villar, who is leading the so-called Nacionalista Party bloc at the Senate, is now part of the majority that supported Enrile’s bid for the Senate presidency.

But his ally, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, has been designated as Senate minority leader with Senators Joker Arroyo and Pia Cayetano as members.

Sotto, on the other hand, revealed yesterday that the Senate and the House of Representatives have started to map out the legislative calendar for the 15th Congress.

Sotto said the leaders of the two chambers – Enrile and Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. – have expressed intent to extend the session days to be able to tackle the 2011 budget thoroughly and pass it by yearend.

The legislative agenda will be tackled once the distribution of committees are finished at the Senate and the House of Representatives, and after Malacañang has set the meeting for the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), Sotto said.

Sick leave

Meantime, after patching up their differences, Santiago wrote Enrile a letter about her extended sick leave due to hypothyrodism.

In the letter, Santiago requested that she be marked on “sick leave” in the Senate journal during roll call.

“For urgent matters, I shall be available in my house,” Santiago said.

She explained that the disease causes her to feel “extreme tiredness.”

She said she expects to recover in the next few weeks or months after taking medication.

Santiago had earlier complained of chronic fatigue syndrome, worsened by a heart condition.

She has been absent since the opening of the 15th Congress last July 26 but she surprised her colleagues when she attended last Monday’s Senate session in time for the distribution of committee chairmanships.