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MANILA, Philippines – Incoming Senate President Franklin Drilon is unfazed by the plans of the new minority to keep the chamber’s leaders on their toes.
Drilon said the administration coalition will be able to stand scrutiny from the minority to be led by resigned Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile.
The Liberal Party (LP) stalwart responded to the plan of Enrile’s group to possibly refuse committee chairmanships as a group.
“That is a decision they will have to make and we will just have to face that challenge if they would not accept committees, challenge meaning in terms of additional work for the majority senators,” Drilon said in the Kapihan sa Senado press forum on Thursday, July 18.
The senator said though that in keeping with Senate tradition, he will offer committee chairmanships to the minority. “Whether or not they accept is a matter left to them.”
Drilon made the comment a day after Sen Nancy Binay revealed that the minority is considering refusing committee chairmanships to concentrate on checking the work of the committees.
Enrile, Binay, and Senators Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Jinggoy Estrada, Gregorio Honasan II, and JV Ejercito will form the Senate minority.
Drilon also dismissed statements from Binay and Estrada that the minority will scrutinize the budget, starting with the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program, a flagship anti-poverty program of the administration.
The outgoing Finance Committee Chairman said there is nothing new with their plan.
“The budget has been scrutinized in the past 3 years and there is merit in passing it on time. It is to the public interest that the budget is in place on January 1 so the infrastructure program for that year can be started during the summer,” Drilon said.
He added that a reenacted budget is prone to abuse, calling it a “carte blanche on the President to spend anything found on the budget.”
“I don’t think the opposition will want a reenacted budget …. We join the opposition in scrutinizing the budget but we believe it is to the public interest for the budget to be passed on time.”
On the CCT, Drilon said there is no major change in the program.
“The only difference is there can be more appropriation but the concept, structure is the same but certainly, we should scrutinize if precepts under the policy are followed.”
In the 15th Congress, the minority was not perceived to be critical of the majority, with most senators initially backing Enrile’s leadership and supportive of the Aquino administration.
Now, the new minority has vowed to play a more active role in assessing the performance and bills of the Senate majority.
Bongbong joining minority?
While Drilon was tight-lipped about the new set of officers and committee chairmanships, Sen Cynthia Villar was more candid.
Villar told reporters on Thursday about the designations of the members of her Nacionalista Party (NP). Villar’s husband, former Sen Manny Villar, is the NP president.
The NP is expected to get prime committees as part of the majority coalition. It allied with the LP in the May 2013 elections, and is the bloc with the most members in the Senate.
Villar said she will likely lead the Agriculture Committee, which handles bills and resolutions related to food production and agribusiness. During the campaign, Villar vowed to push for measures improving irrigation.
The oversight committee on Agriculture has the highest budget among the 35 ad hoc panels.
READ: P500M a year: Will Senate slash bloated committees?
Sen Antonio Trillanes IV is heading the Defense Committee, Sen Alan Peter Cayetano for Majority Leader, Sen Pia Cayetano again for Health, and Sen Bongbong Marcos again for Local Government, said Villar.
“What we are talking of now are the second committees. That’s what hasn’t been settled but the first committees are okay.”
Villar was asked about reports that Marcos is considering joining the minority.
“I haven’t heard of that [but it happens] sometimes, the choices of committees, if someone feels he didn’t get what he want. I don’t know because he hasn’t told me anything,” Villar said.
Villar said that Marcos wants the Local Government Committee, a panel he already headed in the 15th Congress. A Senate insider though said that Marcos initially eyed the Labor Committee.
In a press conference last month, Marcos has said Drilon is not assured of the Senate Presidency because he will have to satisfy the many requests for committee chairmanships.
Villar said any conflict will be settled before the 16th Congress opens on July 22.
“You know how it is. Nothing is over until it’s over. [Positions] have to be read on the floor before you can say it’s really yours.”
Pet committees and pet bills, too?
After bagging her choice committee, Villar said she hopes to get her “favorite bills” passed too.
“They will first pass the certified bills, the priorities of the President. It’s okay with me if I can pass my bill by the end of the 16th Congress. First is the Incentives and Investment Code. It will create jobs and give incentives to business creating jobs.”
Villar is also pushing for the Accelerated Irrigation Act. Yet she expects her bill creating a Department for Overseas Filipino Workers to face opposition.
“Whenever you create a department, there is resistance because they will say that comes with expenses. But I think we should build a department because …. there’s no national network for OFWs, no offices nationwide that are taking care of our OFWs, only here in Manila.” – Rappler.com
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