Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 21) — Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel said he is open to relaxing some rules being followed by lawmakers in the upper chamber, but improvements should be observed when it comes to the conduct of proceedings.
“Ang improvement siguro (The improvement needed maybe) is to pay more attention to the proceedings during plenary so if you are paying attention, you are not talking to someone, so you are not creating noise,” Pimentel told CNN Philippines’ The Source.
Pimentel, who was Senate president from July 2016 to May 2018, also urged his colleagues to have better presence during plenary discussions.
“They may be in the Senate lounge, but we are not sure if they are listening to show interest in what is happening,” Pimentel said.
The lawmaker said he observed this during plenary debates for the Maharlika Investment Fund bill. While there are those who expressed their support for the proposed measure, very few were present during discussions on the floor.
“Sasabihin nila they support it dahil napaka-importante, it will also be intergenerational benefit and yet wala sa floor, walang nakikinig, walang nagpapakita ng interest, so that means ang conclusion ko, hindi s’ya importante, alam din nilang hindi s’ya importante,” Pimentel pointed out.
[Translation: They say they support it because it’s improtant, it will also be intergenerational benefit and yet they are not on the floor, no one is listening, no one is showing interest, so that means my conclusion, it is not important, and they also know it’s not important.]
On the other hand, Pimentel said he favors easing the required attire for senators. He noted that even in the Spanish parliament, government officials are now wearing casual clothes.
Pimentel’s statement came after former Senate President Franklin Drilon on June 15 urged current Senate leader Juan Miguel Zubiri to “draw the line” amid the “erosion of the prestige of the Senate as an institution” due to the “lack of decorum” among some of its members.
Senator Robin Padilla recently drew flak online after a video showed the neophyte lawmaker struggling to make a motion during a plenary session. He was also criticized after getting caught combing his mustache in another hearing.
Meanwhile, Senator Ronald dela Rosa was accused of debasing the upper chamber as an institution by kneeling and begging drug-linked cops to tell the truth during a committee hearing.
While Dela Rosa said he can make adjustments, Padilla said he does not see the need to make amends, adding that younger senators have a different way of doing things.
