Escudero: Divisive bills, including Cha-cha, not a priority

By: Tina G. Santos - 5 mins ago

SP CHIZ OPENS CONGRESS: The Senate opens its Third Regular Session Monday, July 22, 2024 as Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero lays down his legislative policies for the last regular session of the 19th Congress. Escudero said the Senate, for one, would set aside “items which merely dissipate our energy and divide the public” in the final regular session of this congress. “For this same reason, pending bills on charter change will be placed in the backburner, and will follow the ordinary and regular process of legislation, if at all,” the Senate chief said. Quoting Manuel L. Quezon more than a century ago, Escudero said the then Senate President wrote a “template” by which the legislators should do their duties today. He said Quezon envisioned the four distinct roles of the Senate: First, the Senate is a chamber of sobriety and prudence; Second, the Senate focuses on quality, rather than quantity; Third, the Senate puts the interest of the people over those of political parties or personal ambitions; and, Fourth, in matters of foreign relations, the Senate helps maintain the good ties of the people with other nations. “This is not a factory that mass produces laws for the sake of showing them on the scoreboard, yet do not, in any way, improve our people’s lives,” he stressed. “To write laws is not the only duty of the Senate. It also has the duty to right wrong policies. To this end, irregularities will be probed. Relief will be provided, and justice will be pursued without letup,” he added. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero —Senate PRIB

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate will place “divisive” proposals to amend the 1987 Constitution “on the backburner,” Senate President Francis Escudero announced at the opening of the third regular session of the 19th Congress on Monday, a few hours before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered his State of the Nation Address (Sona).

In his speech, Escudero said the upper chamber “would set aside items, which merely dissipate our energy and divide the public.”

READ: Officials expect Marcos to tackle key issues in 3rd Sona

“It’s not a priority for me and since it was not mentioned in the Ledac (Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council), I don’t think it’s a priority of the Ledac or the executive [branch] either,” he clarified in a press briefing afterward. “In its stead, bills which can effect the same result—but without the needless political noise and bickering—will be prioritized. This will allow us to focus our energy on measures, which the people truly need,” he added.

Escudero declared in his speech the Senate’s “unanimous and unbending” stand in defending the country’s independence and sovereignty amid rising tensions with China in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). In line with this, priority would be given to passing laws similar to the Maritime Zone and Sea Lanes Act, which aims to strengthen the Philippines’ territorial claims, he said.

Escudero also highlighted the importance of strengthening the military to secure peace, not to provoke conflict, as well as peaceful measures to protect fisherfolk’s rights to navigate and fish in the country’s territorial waters.

Wait-and-see stance

Ranking House leaders, on the other hand, said they respected the Senate’s decision to deprioritize economic Charter change (Cha-cha) but insisted it was not yet dead in the water.

In separate interviews, Tingog Rep. Jude Acidre and PBA Rep. Migs Nograles said the lower chamber—which passed on third and final reading Resolution of Both Houses No. 7 seeking to amend specific economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution—would still have to “wait and see” what next steps to take regarding their pet legislative agenda.

“At the same time, the Senate’s rules and leadership are different, so we will have to see what direction they would take with this,” Nograles said.

“[Charter change] remains to be a viable option if we’re going to go full throttle on the economic development goals,” added Acidre. “While we have different opinions, [I would say] this is a valid and opportune time to really review the Constitution.”

“I don’t think we can always consider [this] as dead in the water, as long as Congress is there,” Acidre said. “It would always be an option.”