Angara, Dela Rosa: No ‘fast break’, ‘blind pass’ in legislation

MANILA,  Philippines — Unlike in basketball, there is no “fast break” and “blind pass” in legislation, two senators said Monday.

At the Senate floor, Senator Sonny Angara scoffed at a lawmaker’s challenge for senators to disclose their stand on Charter change (Cha-cha) when the Senate has just started its deliberations on the issue.

But Angara stressed the process of passing a law in Congress is “no joke.”

In the Senate, he said, legislation requires hearings and an “actual honest-to-goodness public consultation.”

“Ginawa ba nila ‘yun sa (Did they do that with) [people’s initiative]?” asked Angara, who is leading discussions on Charter change in the Senate as head of the subcommittee on constitutional amendments.

“Parang wala akong narinig na public consultation, Mr. President. Parang ginawa nila nung nag ce-celebrate tayo nung Christmas at New Year. Parang finast-break kung baga,” he continued.

(I don’t think I heard any public consultation, Mr. President. It’s like they did it while we were celebrating Christmas and New Year. It’s like they did a fast break.)

READ: Angara sees Oct deadline for Charter change debates

“Sa pagsasabatas, wala dapat fastbreak dahil parang mababa ang tingin natin sa kababayan natin, Mr. Presiddent kapag finast-break natin ang pagsasabatas at hindi pangkaraniwang batas ito, Saligang Batas  ang pinag-uusapan dito…”  he added.

(In enactment, there should be no fast break because we seem to think low of our countryman, Mr. President, when we do a fast break of legislation and this is not an ordinary law, it’s the Constitution that’s being discussed here.)

Angara did not address anyone in particular when he made the remarks.

But just last week, House Majority Floor Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe challenged all 24 senators to publicly state whether or not they are in favor of amending the 1987 Constitution.

Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa echoed Angara, saying the Senate should not be rushed into passing  proposed changes to the country’s principal Charter.

“Dito po sa Senado, wala pong fast break-an dito, Mr. President. Wala pong blind pass dito, Mr. President.  Kung sa basketball, walang dunk dito, Mr. President, puro deliberate ang trabaho dito,” he said.

(Here in the Senate, there is no fast break here, Mr. President. There is no blind pass here, Mr. President. As for basketball, there is no dunk here, Mr. President, the work here is purely deliberate.)

READ: Sen Joel Villanueva sets record straight, hits back at Rep Zaldy Co

Besides, dela Rosa noted that Angara’s panel has already been conducting hearings on the proposal to revise the 1987 Constitution.

“Hindi po fast break ang trabaho  namin dito (Our work here is not a fast break),” he stressed, “We’re not after quantity, we’re after quality. Hindi po ito payabangan kung ilang batas ang napapasa ninyo (This is not a competition about how many laws you pass)…”