MANILA, Philippines – The Senate on Tuesday approved the composition of of 21 of its 39 committees in its first plenary session day for the First Regular Session of the 17th Congress.
Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, who was also majority leader in the previous congress, moved for the election of the chairpersons of the Senate committees while Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III presided over the session.
Under Senate rules, Sotto, Senate President Pro-Tempore Franklin Drilon, and Minority Leader Ralph Recto are members of all standing Senate committees because of their positions.
Below are the list of the 21 Senate committee chairs approved as well as the vice chairs named as of July 26:
| Senate Committee | Chair | Vice Chair/s |
| Constitutional Amendments | Sen. Franklin Drilon | Sens. Leila De Lima, Francis Pangilinan |
| Rules | Sen. Vicente "Tito" Sotto III | Sen. Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan |
| Public Order and Drugs | Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson | Not yet named |
| Education | Sen. Bam Aquino | Sens. Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara, Sherwin Gatchalian, Joel Villanueva |
| Tourism | Sen. Nancy Binay | Sen. JV Ejercito |
| Public Services | Sen. Grace Poe | Sen. JV Ejercito |
| Agriculture | Sen. Francis Pangilinan | Sen. Cynthia Villar |
| Finance | Sen. Loren Legarda | Sens. Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara, Bam Aquino, Cynthia Villar |
| Ways and Means | Sen. Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara | Sens. Loren Legarda, Joel Villanueva, Bam Aquino |
| Environmental and Natural Resources | Sen. Cynthia Villar | Sen. Loren Legarda |
| Public Works | Sen. Manny Pacquiao | Sen. JV Ejercito |
| Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement | Sen. JV Ejercito | Sen. Manny Pacquiao |
| Justice and Human Rights | Sen. Leila De Lima | Sen. Francis Pangilinan |
| National Defense and Security | Sen. Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan | Sens. Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, Antonio "Sonny" Trillanes IV |
| Energy | Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian | Sens. Nancy Binay, Loren Legarda |
| Labor, Employment and Human Resource Development | Sen. Joel Villanueva | Sen. Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara |
| Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation | Sen. Antonio "Sonny" Trillanes IV | Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero |
| Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship | Sen. Miguel Zubiri | Not yet named |
| Health and Demography | Sen. Risa Hontiveros | Sen. Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan |
| Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development | Sen. Cynthia Villar | Not yet named |
| Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations (Blue Ribbon) | Sen. Richard "Dick" Gordon | Sen. Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara |
Sotto said the chairpersons for the remaining 18 Senate committees will be elected on Monday, August 1, 2016 due to an emergency meeting called by the National Security Council, which President Rodrigo Duterte has asked Senate leaders to attend.
He added that the vice chairs yet to be named may be designated by the committee chairs during the organizational meetings of each panel.