Politics · Philippines Bureau
Villar joins Senate majority, secures public works chair
Senator Mark Villar has switched to the Senate majority bloc, expanding its ranks to 14 members and cementing his position as chairman of the influential public works committee. The move comes as the chamber navigates the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.
LSN Philippines ·
MANILA — Sen. Mark Villar crossed over to the Senate majority on Thursday, a political realignment that strengthens the ruling bloc ahead of key legislative priorities and internal party dynamics.
The shift brings the majority's membership to 14 senators and secures Villar's chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Public Works, Construction and Planning—one of the chamber's most influential panels overseeing infrastructure spending.
The defection underscores evolving political alignments in the upper chamber, occurring amid the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Duterte and as lawmakers prepare for the 2025 midterm elections. Villar's move to the majority is expected to strengthen the administration's legislative agenda in the final two years of his current term.
No statement was immediately available from Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri regarding details of the agreement or potential policy implications of the expanded bloc.