Binay’s Chinese New Year wish for Congress: Stop parliamentary bullying

Sen. Nancy S. Binay. (Joseph Vidal/Senate PRIB)

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Nancy Binay on Friday said her Chinese New Year wish was for members of Congress to stop “parliamentary bullying.”

According to Binay, the behavior of some legislators was shameful for both houses of Congress and should not be a standard on how they should conduct themselves.

“Sad to say, the behavior of some of our colleagues in Congress has fallen too far below the standard which the public expect from members of the legislature. The bullying, the absurd spats, the unnecessary remarks have brought shame on both houses of Congress,” Binay said.

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Binay made the statement following ongoing conflicts between the Senate and the House over amending the 1987 Constitution.

While some lawmakers in the House have expressed openness to the topic, in January, the Senate released a memorandum denouncing the people’s initiative to amend the Constitution.

She added that amending the Constitution is not the only solution, as other moves can be made to change the country, such as improving the battle against corruption and stopping patronage politics.

“Instead of pushing for changing the charter as if it were the only medicine to cure an ailing country, why can’t we put ourselves first in the People’s Agenda — denounce the injustices in the system, help fight corruption in all levels of government, help stop the culture of patronage politics, and as legislators, change for the better,” she continued.

The senator also appealed to her colleagues to “go back to work” and to earn the public’s respect back.

“I appeal to everyone to stand down and go back to work. Change should start in our institutions, and I do hope we all can get the people’s respect back,” she said.