Senate’s 40-somethings come together in emerging bloc

MANILA, Philippines — Meet the Senate’s newest bloc: “The Seatmates.”

Five of the chamber’s forty-somethings incidentally seated next to one another at the Senate floor have turned their long-time friendships into an emerging bloc, brought together by common legislative goals and the need for downtime after long and tedious hours at work.

Senators Juan Edgardo Angara, Joseph Victor Ejercito, Sherwin Gatchalian, Joel Villanueva and Juan Miguel Zubiri have come together in an informal grouping they call “The Seatmates,” a forum where some of the chamber’s youngest exchange ideas on pressing legislative matters and, at times, personal ones.

The members, all from the Senate majority, had all served in the House of Representatives and are close in age.

At its most recent meet Wednesday night, the group discussed the members’ legislative agenda for 2017. Gatchalian said members of the bloc have agreed to get together at least every other week.

“We call ourselves The Seatmates because we are all seated next to each other… The agenda really is to help one another with legislation. A lot of the legislation can be better understood when we talk about it and we help one another understand it,” Gatchalian told reporters Thursday.

He said there “wasn’t a deliberate effort” to form the group, as it just naturally emerged out of their longtime friendships.

“We’re comfortable with each other in terms of working on various legislation,” Gatchalian said, adding that the bloc was not meant to neutralize other groupings at the chamber.

“This group has been a group ever since before the Senate, because of all of us are personal friends even before politics. All  of them are my friends during the time they were still single. I am the only one single now, all of them are married,” he said.

The lawmaker, among two neophyte senators in the group, said the bloc aimed to bring its members under a unified stand on matters up for voting at the chamber.

But would the group be pro-administration? Gatchalian did not give a direct “no,” but said: “We’re pro-Philippines. We will propose legislation that is pro-country and pro-Filipino, and we want to make sure that this legislation is fair and equitable for all.”

Zubiri said the the bloc could help its members push for their respective advocacies.

“Having a bloc truly helps in pushing for our individual advocacy as a group. Right away, you’ll have five votes and support on the floor,” he said.

Apart from pushing for their respective proposals, Zubiri said in jest that the group had one other priority.

“Our group’s top priority is to find Sherwin a life partner,” he joked.

He said the group has invited “as adopted Mom and Dad” Senators Cynthia Villar and Richard Gordon.

Angara said members could turn to the bloc to bounce off legislative ideas and “benefit from each other’s experience and insight.”

“Having the group helps because we can use the group as a sounding board for possible legislation, and if all of us agree on an issue or advocacy we wish to push, then it becomes a shared advocacy and gains strength from the mutual support,” he said in a text message.

Ejercito and Villanueva echoed their seatmates, saying the group has given them both legislative support and company with whom to unwind, a dose of both the serious and the light-hearted.

“It is important for us to bond once in a while outside the halls of the Senate so that we can also discuss important matters while we unwind and relax after a long day. A lot of brilliant ideas come out of casual and informal chats,” Ejercito said.

Villanueva is thankful for having a group where he could share his views and discuss common advocacies.

“Lastly, I have to admit it’s just relaxing and fun hanging out with these guys,” said Villanueva.  SFM

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