Senate won’t ban foreign travels – Pimentel

Even as he lauded President Rodrigo Duterte’s foreign travel ban for members of the executive branch, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel said he was not inclined to impose the same among senators.

Pimentel said he is in fact “encouraging” his colleagues to travel so the country would have an “internationally-engaged Senate.”

“Iba po ang legislative branch from the executive branch. I’m actually encouraging my colleagues to travel so we will have ‘an internationally engaged Senate’ (which) is part of my vision for the Philippine Senate and also to take some of the traveling burden off my shoulders ’cause like the President I really do not enjoy travels!” Pimentel told reporters on Friday.

“Napipilitan lang because of my duties as SP. Hence, I want some of my colleagues to represent the Senate abroad,” he added.

READ: Duterte orders travel ban

Meanwhile, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian proposed that the “starvation diet” on foreign trips should also be extended to lavish Christmas parties and unnecessary expenses.

“The recent lavish PCSO (Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office) Christmas party is a prime example of insensitive public officials spending public funds on exorbitant parties without regard to the plight of their poor constituents,” Gatchalian said in a statement on Friday.

Gatchalian was referring to the controversial P6 million Christmas party of the PCSO in a five-star hotel.         /kga

READ: Balutan to resign if Cam becomes PCSO chair