Marcos, first lady host dinner after Senate shakeup

Source: The Manila times
Author: Catherine S. Valente

MANILA, Philippines - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza hosted a dinner for senators on Tuesday in Malacañang, a day after the Senate leadership change.

Senators and their spouses attended the Tuesday night dinner as shown in the photo the First Lady shared on her official Instagram account.

"Had a nice time breaking bread with the Senators & their spouses," Araneta-Marcos captioned her post.

Casual dinner with the Senators & their spouses, Bahay Pangulo, Manila | 21 May 2024. Photo from Liza Marcos/Facebook

Present during the gathering were new Senate President Francis Escudero and wife Heart Evangelista; Sen. Ralph Tulfo and wife ACT-CIS Party -list Rep. Jocelyn Tulfo; Sen. Mark Villar and wife Emmeline Yan Aglipay; Sen. Cynthia Villar and husband Manuel Villar; Senators Robinhood Padilla; Alan Peter Cayetano; Francis Tolentino; Sherwin Gatchalian; Jose Estrada; Loren Legarda; Pia Cayetano; Mary Grace Poe; Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr.'s wife; Cavite Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla; and Sen. Aquilino Pimentel's wife, Kathryna Yu-Pimentel.

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Escudero replaced Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri as Senate president on Tuesday, after he resigned.

Zubiri, who had led the Senate since July 2022, confirmed in a chance interview that a coup ousted him minutes before the start of the Senate session on Monday.

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"I have never dictated my position [on] any of you, and I always supported your independence, which is probably why I face my demise today. I failed to follow instructions from the powers-that-be," Zubiri said in his valedictory.

"I have listened to all my colleagues throughout my Senate presidency, and again, I listen to them today as we head into a new period for the Senate. I fought the good fight. If I have ruffled some feathers in doing so, if I have upset the 'powers that be,' so be it," he said.