MANILA, Philippines — Senator Mark Villar has officially joined the Senate majority bloc, leaving the minority group led by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano following his election to key positions in the upper chamber on Thursday, October 8.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri confirmed Villar's transfer after the Senate elected him as a member of the Commission on Appointments (CA) and chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Works.

During the plenary session, Zubiri moved for Villar's election to both positions, which was approved without objection.

Villar replaces Zubiri as a Senate representative to the Commission on Appointments, the congressional body responsible for reviewing and confirming certain presidential appointments.

Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on Public Works oversees legislative matters involving infrastructure development, including roads, bridges, public buildings, flood control, and other government construction projects.

Villar had previously headed the Public Works Committee while serving in the minority bloc. His election on Thursday formally places his committee leadership under the majority.

With Villar's transfer, the Senate majority now has 14 members, while the minority bloc has been reduced to 10.

Four minority senators are currently not attending Senate sessions. Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta remain detained over separate plunder cases, while Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa is in hiding amid an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. Senator Loren Legarda, meanwhile, remains on extended medical leave.

Villar's move comes two weeks after he broke ranks with fellow minority senators during deliberations on the voting threshold for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

On September 23, Villar supported a motion challenging the Senate impeachment court's July 6 ruling, which had initially fixed the conviction threshold at 16 votes, equivalent to two-thirds of the Senate's 24 members.

His position drew attention as the impeachment court continued to debate how the constitutional requirement should be applied when several senators are unable to participate in the proceedings.

Despite the disagreement, Cayetano previously maintained that Villar remained part of the minority, emphasizing that senators serving as impeachment judges must be allowed to exercise independent judgment regardless of political affiliation.

Villar's transfer on October 8 now formalizes his alignment with the Senate majority and changes the balance of membership between the chamber's two blocs.

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