MANILA — Senators on Monday elected Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri as the 19th Congress' Senate President, with 19 out of 24 senators voting in his favor.

Sen. Joel Villanueva took the podium to nominate Zubiri as Senate President, saying he is the "most qualified and most eligible among us to lead the Senate."

"The trabahador ng Senado is now ripe for senate presidency... We witnessed how he transformed from an athletic heartthrob into a statesman," Villanueva said.

Senators Loren Legarda, Grace Poe, Ronald dela Rosa, JV Ejercito, and Jinggoy Estrada also nominated Zubiri as Senate President.

"Siya ang tunay na trabahador ng Senado," Legarda said.

(He is a true worker of the Senate)

"Congress deserves a hardworking public servant... That is exactly the dedication we need to bounce back from the pandemic," Poe said.

Senators described Zubiri as "charming" and a "consensus builder," which he demonstrated during his stint as majority floor leader in the previous Congress.

"Sa sobrang charming, kahit si [former] minority leader Franklin Drilon bumoboto sa majority," Poe said.

(He is so charming that even former minority leader Franklin Drilon votes with the majority.)

Zubiri ran under the slate of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. in the May elections.

The new Senate President earlier promised to build a "supermajority" in the Senate in order to fast-track the legislative agenda of Marcos.

• Zubiri defends push for Senate 'supermajority': 'Di ito para mag-railroad'

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