The President of the Philippine Senate

The position of the President of the Senate is the third highest position in the country. It is also third in line of succession to the Presidency of the country. The election for the said post is held every beginning of every Congress. Anyone who could muster the votes of at least thirteen (13) of his fellow Senators or higher, got elected President of the Senate and he would use the official plate number 3 on his car. A Senator can be elected also unanimously as the President of the Senate, but this happened rarely a few times, in case of then late Senator Neptali Gonzales, Sr., on 1998 and of incumbent Senator Franklin Drilon on 2000, for his first term in the top post of the Senate.


The President of the Senate is the presiding officer of every session in the Senate and supervises all its standing committees. That's why every hearing of every committee, he attends. He has also the control of the session hall, the ante chambers and offices of the Senate, particularly the offices of the Senators. He also supervises the Office of the Sergeant at Arms that provides full security and maintain order in the Senate as well as the Secretariat of the Chamber which provides support services and, keeps all the chamber's records, etc. He also controls the budget of the Senate.


If the President of the Philippines would be impeached by the House of Representatives, and would be tried by the Senate, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall preside, but not to vote. To this end, the President of the Senate shall act as co-presiding officer of the Chief Justice. But if the Vice President, Ombudsman and chiefs of the Constitutional Commissions plus the Members of the Supreme Court, is under impeachment trial in the Senate, the President of the Senate shall solely preside and he can vote.

 Being President of the Senate is tedious for he is also the ex-officio Chairman of the Commission on Appointments, a constitutional congressional body formed to scrutinize and confirm all presidential appointments made. It is composed of twelve Senators and twelve Members of the House of Representatives as Members. As Chairman of the Commission, he or she will only vote in case of a tie, unlike in the Senate wherein he or she anytime can vote on bills or resolutions, especially if such vote is so decisive.


In the chairmanships of every Senate standing committee, the President of the Senate shall have the final say on who is Senator deserves to be the chairman of any Senate standing committee per tradition.

 But, a crucial role of being President of the Senate is that he or she is expected to carry a sitting President's legislative agenda, especially if he or she is an ally of the latter for passage and enactment into laws. And as the supreme leader of the majority bloc in the Senate, he or she is mandated to crack the whip on his or her fellow Senators in the bloc to vote in favor of the administration bills pending in the Senate itself.


The term of office of the President of the Senate is indefinite. He can be re elected by his fellow Senators on the session of a new Congress or be ousted if they have lost their confidence on him. He may resign anytime. He can also be replaced if he is permanent incapacipated also by the majority of his fellow Senators. 

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