Maniolas

President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday swore in four newly elected administration senators and 78 of his allies who won posts in the House of Representatives. In a formal event inside Malacañang Palace, Aquino administered the oath to Senators-elect Alan Peter Cayetano, Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino, Antonio Trillanes IV and Cynthia Villar. All four ran under the administration slate during the midterm polls. Five other administration senators-elect—Loren Legarda, Francis Escudero, Grace Poe, Juan Edgardo Angara and Aquilino Pimentel III—took their oaths before the President earlier this month. Seventy-eight allies of the ruling Liberal Party (LP), which is currently being chaired by Aquino, also took part in the oath-taking ceremony. The newly elected House members were led by House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., who is likely to retain his post next Congress. Also present during the event were Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, LP president, and Senator Franklin Drilon, who is likely to become the administration’s bet for Senate President next Congress. Among the House members who took their oaths of office before the President were Camarines Sur Rep. Maria Leonor Robredo, widow of the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo; Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas, Jr., who led the prosecution team during the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona; and Samar Rep. Mel Senen Sarmiento, who is likely to chair the powerful House appropriations committee in the next Congress. Celebrity House members such as Quezon City Rep. Alfred Varga and Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez, were also sworn in by the President. Read More …