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THE Senate takes pride in the “quality” of its bills, compared
to the ones introduced in the House, which, some senators say, are
mostly of “local application.” The Senate exercises “quality
control” on bills referred to it by the lower chamber, so goes the
claim.
Some congressmen say however a lot of
intellectual theft takes place in the Senate, where members copy
bills filed by their peers and re-introduce them as their own. The
bills are not even rephrased but repeated word for word. The
congressmen also say they take lawmaking more seriously, and do not
waste time on congressional investigations as the Senate does.
If the Senate had its way, it would pass every
bill introduced by a member. Time is not the problem. Some committee
chairmen simply procrastinate about scheduling a bill. Too many
senators are not prepared to defend their measures when discussions
start. They ask for interpellation time and fail to appear during
the debate. Absenteeism and tardiness are a headache. Latecomers
repeat questions already raised and answered. The lack of basic
civility in a dignified chamber also hurts morale and slows down
legislation.
We expect to hear from Senate President Manny
Villar’s press office how productive the last regular session was.
An honest assessment of its work still has to be made: how useful
were the time-consuming investigations? How did the senators speak
on big national issues? How many important bills passed, how many
were shelved?
It was an interesting session, we agree.
Numerous bills were proposed to create new departments and abolish
current ones, create new holidays or rename streets. Privileges were
proposed for special people, like the senior citizens and
left-handed persons. How about passing a law (c/o Sen. Bong Revilla)
requiring taxi drivers to give their passengers exact change?
New cabinet departments?
As if there is no excess in the bureaucracy, the
senators seek to create new cabinet bodies. Sen. Aquilino Pimentel
thinks we could use a Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
If there’s a Philippine Military Academy, we should have a
Philippine Naval Academy, says Senator Revilla. A techie, Sen. Loren
Legarda has introduced a bill to organize a Department of
Information and Communications Technology. Let’s have a Department
of Maritime Affairs, suggests another bill. But Nene Pimentel is
focusing on the Big Picture. He wants a law to revamp the
bureaucracy, authorizing the president to form a Commission on
Re-Engineering to simplify the government.
Meanwhile, Senator Jinggoy has introduced bills
to abolish the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, the
Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Technical Education
and Skills Development Authority. Abolish the Department of
Transportation and Communications, too? No, but Jinggoy wants a
separate Department of Transportation and a new Department of
Communications.
New national holidays, too
We may have to review our holidays and revise
the calendar. Sen. Jinggoy Estrada wants to declare April 27 a
special nonworking holiday to honor Lapu-lapu. October 20 should
celebrate National Thank You Day to celebrate the spirit of
bayanihan, says Senator Villar. He also wants to proclaim a
Firefighter’s Memorial Day and set aside May as Mountaineering
Month. Jinggoy has a soft spot for the founding of the Iglesia ni
Cristo; he wants the 27th day of July celebrated as a special
national holiday. He adds that Mother’s Day is a natural for the
first Monday of December. Villar has introduced a bill to proclaim
June as Deaf-Blind Awareness Month. But February must be declared
Liver Cancer and Hepatitis-B Awareness Month, adds Sen. Pia Cayetano.
Vive le France: Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri says June 26 deserves
celebration as Philippines-France Friendship Day.
Senators Mar Roxas and Antonio Trillanes seek to
rename the C-5 circumferential road after Emilio Aguinaldo,
president of the first Republic. A President Aguinaldo Avenue is
welcome.
And quality-of-life boosters
The Senate failed to pass “quality-of-life”
bills that could have improved urban living. Among them are a bill
regulating the use of sidewalks for commercial purposes (Sen. Miriam
Santiago); providing for pedestrian safety and convenience (Villar);
reducing aviation noise in residential areas (Estrada); modernizing
the national railways system (Revilla); regulating diggings and
excavations on streets; and outlawing abandoned and derelict motor
vehicles.
No, you can’t. The senators are keeping an eye
on some crimes that are bizarre or commonplace. It’s criminal to
have sex with the dead, says Villar; he wants to end corporal
punishment on children as well as violence in fraternity and
sorority hazing. SB 288 (Sen. Richard Gordon) penalizes cell phone
theft. Senator Pia will throw the book at drunken driving. Giving
prisoners temporary release to commit a crime is the subject of
another Estrada bill.
Last time we checked, Sen. Lito Lapid had
introduced two bills: elevating sipa to national sports and
declaring August “Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa.” We read yesterday
that he had his first bill passed, encouraging well-paid lawyers to
handle the cases of the poor by giving them tax incentives. Give
incentives to high-income lawyers? If it’s the only way to make
them do pro bono work or sit down with a barefoot suspect, then
Lapid must know the system well.
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