Senator Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri has been formally elected as the new Senate President at the opening of the 19th Congress on Monday, July 25.
Zubiri was unanimously elected Senate president by his colleagues after six of 24 senators nominated him for the post.
The six who nomited him as the camber's head were Senators Loren Legarda, Jinggoy Estrada, JV Ejercito, Ronald "Bato" Del Rosa, Grace Poe, and Joel Villanueva.
The Cayetano siblings, Senators Alan Peter and Pia, stated on record that they did not participate in the election of the new SP, saying that they will be "independent" senators in the 19th Congress.
Meanwhile, Senators Risa Hontiveros and Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III abstained during the election of Zubiri, making them automatic members of the minority bloc.
According to Villanueva, Zubiri is the "most qualified and eligible" to lead the upper chamber.
"This institution must serve the Filipino people, and with Senator Zubiri at its helm, steering and charting its course, it can do much more," Villanueva said.
Before assuming his new post, Zubiri served as the Senate Majority Floor Leader in the 18th Congress.
Senator Cynthia Villar, earlier, expressed her intention to become the next Senate President but took it back and later declared her support for Zubiri.
Likewise, Legarda and Villanueva have been formally announced as the new Senate Pro Tempore and Senate Majority Leader, respectively.
