Nancy Binay eyes lawmaking course in UP

Win first, study later?

Fresh from her victory in last Monday’s elections, Senator-elect Nancy Binay plans to enroll in a short course at the University of the Philippines to prepare her for the tough legislative work ahead.

Binay on Friday said she was looking for a program specifically for legislators at the University of the Philippines (UP) National College of Public Administration and Governance.

“It’s something about legislative procedures, among others. I think it will last for two weeks,” she told the Inquirer.

The course is expected to supplement the regular orientation to be conducted at the Senate for new members of the chamber.

Binay acknowledged that her plan to enroll at UP would likely trigger more criticism from her detractors.

“But I don’t pay attention to negative things,” she told reporters in a press conference in Makati. “If I would focus on them, I won’t get any work done.”

Binay also said she was banking on the support of seasoned allies such as Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, the Senate President Pro Tempore.

She said she was also looking at Sen. Loren Legarda as a possible “mentor” on the Senate floor. Legarda, who ranked second in this year’s election, earlier offered to assist newcomers such as Binay and Grace Poe, who topped the balloting.

Like Binay, Estrada was roundly ridiculed for his alleged lack of qualifications when he first ran for the Senate and won in 2004. He was then coming off a 12-year experience as mayor of San Juan.

“I will learn a lot from him based on his own experience as a senator,” said Binay, who was criticized throughout the campaign for her lack of government experience prior to her senatorial run.

But Binay pointed to her 20-year “on-the-job training” as a “personal assistant” of her father, Vice President Jejomar Binay, even when he was still mayor of Makati City.