Young guns poised to take over Senate

Young guns including Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara (in photo) appear poised to invade the Senate. RYAN LEAGOGO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Young guns appear poised to invade the Senate.

Nine out of the 12 front-runners in the partial yet substantial election count are in their 30s and 40s, noted Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, himself among the likely winners of this year’s senatorial race.

“I’m hopeful that the processes of the legislature would be more efficient. Since [the new senators] are younger, they should be more impatient for results. I hope that’s the case,” said Angara, the son of outgoing four-term Sen. Edgardo Angara, in a talk with reporters at the Team Pnoy campaign headquarters in Makati City.

Angara’s fellow administration candidate Benigno Aquino IV said the influence of the country’s young people can no longer be easily  dismissed.

“The youth sector is one of the biggest in the country and this sector can’t be ignored. And I’m hoping as the youngest in the Senate, it will be both my burden and responsibility that if the youth have concerns, these will be heard by the Senate,” Aquino told reporters also at the campaign headquarters.

Aquino, 36-year-old cousin of President Aquino, stands to be the youngest senator in the 16th Congress. Angara is 40 years old.

“Bam is the youngest but the average age is 41, 42 so I think the electorate is saying something there,” Angara said.

“[We’re] not necessarily new faces but definitely there is a demographic shift,” he added.

Reelectionist Sen. Francis Escudero, 43, said he expects “a vibrant and colorful Senate” with the election of young lawmakers.

“I expect a vibrant Senate and a colorful and exciting one; full of idealism, vigor and enthusiasm to work for the country,” Escudero said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Angara was at sixth place with 11.5 million votes in the partial and unofficial count. Aquino is at seventh place with 11.1 million votes.

Top vote-getter Grace Poe, also of Team Pnoy, is 44 years old. Reelectionists Alan Peter Cayetano at third place and Escudero at fourth are 42 and 43 respectively.

Fifth placer Nancy Binay of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) is 40; Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III of Team Pnoy, 49; Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV of Team Pnoy, 41; and San Juan Rep. JV Ejercito of UNA, 43.

Only second placer Sen. Loren Legarda, 10th placer former Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar and 12th placer Sen. Gregorio Honasan are more than 50 years old.

But young as they are, the fact that they represent old names in Philippine politics wasn’t lost on Angara and Aquino.

Angara, son of the longest serving senator in the post-Edsa legislature, now says he would support a “reasonable” antidynasty measure that would limit the candidacies of first- and second-degree relatives of incumbent elected officials.

“We should still find ways to open up access to public office. Whether it is done through antidysnatsy legislation or leveling the playing field for political parties or examining the electoral laws, we should be open to ways to make the electoral exercise more democratic,” Angara said.