Wednesday, March 07, 2007 Aportadera: Who can be a senator? By Billy Aportadera Rights and Duties
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo formed her senatorial Team Unity composed of her allies in Congress, and rejects of the Genuine Opposition. The justification advanced is that the Administration needs senators who would advance her economic agenda despite the unresolved charges of corruption and legitimacy.
Voting straight Team Unity would result in a rubber stamp Senate, which is anathema to the principle of check and balance for a vibrant and sustaining democracy.
On the other hand, statesman and former senate president Jovito Salonga called for principled Opposition to stand up against the Administration's attempt to ram through its Team Unity this coming May 14. This is the challenge posed by the venerable Salonga to the Genuine Opposition (formerly United Opposition or UNO) and the newly formed Kapatiran Party. He challenged the Opposition to be men of principles, to campaign as such men of principles and to present to the Filipino people a platform based on principled politics.
Salonga bewailed that popular personalities not honed with legislative skills are running for the senate. The Senate is not a place for people who cannot legislate and who cannot defend on the podium their proposed legislation. The task of legislating is a constitutional task. Before any person aspires to be a senator, he should realize that the senate is one of the houses of the legislative department of government.
Section 3, Article VI of the 1987 Philippine Constitution which provides that "No person shall be a Senator unless he is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines on the day of his election, is at least thirty-five years of age, able to read and write, a registered voter, and a resident of the Philippines for not less than two years immediately preceding the day of the election." The section provides for the minimum qualifications to be senator.
On the other hand, Section 1, Article VI of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, which provides that "The legislative power shall be vested in the Congress of the Philippines which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives, xxx," is the source of the primary qualification to be senator. It is in the senate and in congress that legislative power is vested and exercised, presupposing that their members are men and women well versed in legislating or making laws.
The Senate is the place of the likes, integrity, and brilliance of Manuel L. Quezon (1916-1934), Claro M. Recto (1931-56), Tomas Confesor (1946-51), Lorenzo N. Tanada (1947-71), Arturo M. Tolentino (1957-72,1992-1995), Alejandro Almendras (1959-72), Raul M. Manglapus (1961-65), Jose W. Diokno (1963-72), Jovito Salonga (1965-72), Eva Estrada Kalaw 1965-72), Benigno Aquino Jr. (1967-72), Salvador H. Laurel, (1967-72), Gerardo M. Roxas (1969-82), Teofisto Guingona (1987-93, 1998-2004), Jr., and Neptali A. Gonzales (1987-98). These men and women and others walked through the hallowed halls of the Senate, stood before its podium to debate legislation, as they were mandated by the fundamental law of the land.
These men and others were Senators of the Republic of the Philippines. It is not a place for dancing, for basketball, and for entertainment. To the Filipino people, let not the Senate of the Republic of the Philippines be desecrated by electing men and women not worthy and competent to be called Senators. Elect the men and women who have integrity and character, and the competence to legislate.
Abelardo "Billy" Aportadera Jr., former commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and former assistant Ombudsman, of the Office of Ombudsman, is a practicing lawyer and a member of Philconsa, E-mail address: apo_lawoffice@pldtdsl.net; Web address: http://billyaportadera.com.ph.
