Mark Villar jumps to Senate majority, members now 14

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The Senate on Thursday elected Sen. Mark Villar as a member of the Commission on Appointments and as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Works, signaling his move from the minority to the majority.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri moved for the election of Villar to the powerful CA and the public works panel. There were no objections.

Zubiri confirmed that Villar's positions are "as part of the majority."

"Yes. We just elected him to the CA and Public Works committee as part of the majority," Zubiri said.

Villar formally left the minority bloc two weeks after he voted to support a motion to appeal the July 6 decision, which had originally fixed the conviction threshold in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte at 16 votes, representing two-thirds of the entire 24-member Senate.

Following the development, the majority bloc is now composed of 14 members, while the minority has 10 members---four of whom are currently not attending sessions.

Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta are detained over separate plunder charges, while Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa is in hiding amid an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.

Senator Loren Legarda, meanwhile, has been on extended medical leave for months now. —NB, GMA News