Camille
P. Balagtas
People's
TONIGHT
August
2, 2002
Mass
Resignation among Senators urged
=====================================================
Tired
of seemingly unending and unproductive arguments and squabbling among senators,
administration Senator Robert Barbers yesterday asked his colleagues to resign
en masse as he expressed his own willingness to resign if the political
bickering did not stop.
Barbers
who was irked by the actuations of some of his colleagues in the Senate
challenged them to give up their positions as senators as he expressed his
dismay of too much politicking.
"Bayaan
natin ang taong bayan ang humusga muli
para malaman kung iboboto pa nila tayo sa kabila ng puro daldalan at
wala na halos matrabaho na matino. Nakakapagod na ang walang ginagawa matino
para sa bayan. Puro na lang papogian. May obligasyon tayo sa bayan."
Barbers told his colleagues.
Barbers,
who called the reporters to a press conference, said he knew that he would be
criticized by his colleagues for suggesting that they resign en masse to solve
the impasse in the Senate.
"Hindi
ko kasi masikmura na sumuweldo ng walang ginagawa. Kawawa ang taong
bayan." Barber said.
He said
the resignations should take effect in December when all of the important bills
shall have been passed.
"Ako
ay willing ibigay muli ang paghuhusga sa taong bayan. Kung talagang hindi na
titigil ito mabuti pang magbitiw na kami lahat at bayaan ang sambayanan
Pilipino para muling bumoto sa mga taong sa tingin nila ay handing maglingkod
para sa bayan." Barbers explained.
Both
opposition and administration Senators were back to bickering Thursday over
procedure issues and allegations the opposition tried to railroad Monday's
session to legalize their June 3 to 6 "rump session."
Opposition
Senator Edgarda Angara blamed administration Senator Joker Arroyo for fresh
wrangling that erupted in the chamber late Wednesday, accusing Arroyo of always
trying to bloc issues raised by the opposition.
Angara also charged Arroyo of always picking
fights and forgetting earlier agreements.
Arroyo
for his part said the opposition has not abided by their agreement to end
infighting and has persisted in raising issues against the administration bloc.
Pimentel protested that the microphone he was
using was turned off when he tried to push for discussion of the validity of
the opposition's June 3 to 6 "rump session" during Monday's session.
That
session was about to be adjourned when Pimentel quickly rose to object,
insisting they tackle the issue.
"I
am not saying they (opposition) are the bad people, but for them if they can
derail the majority, that's okay with them. But for us, we want everything to
be smoothened out. Why? Because it is to our interest," Arroyo said.
"They
say they want to give their cooperation, but after saying that they hit you
with their elbow," Arroyo added.
The
brickbats come after a consensus was reached during marathon session that ended
in the wee hours of Tuesday morning giving tacit recognition to the legality
and validity of the opposition's June 3-6 "rump session."
But
Pimentel downplayed his verbal joust with Sen. Joker Arroyo as a
"democratic dialogue."
Pimentel said the senators involved in Wednesday's
heated debate were simply exercising "their right to speak their mind on
any issue."
"Like
everybody else, we senators have the right to speak our minds on many issues
under the sun, whether it is to the liking or at the dislike of anyone including
the majority senators," he said.
Senate
Majority Leader Loren Legarda said she considers the heat generated by debate
on the rump session has cooled down after her colleagues aired their sentiments
on the floor.
Legarda
asked her colleagues to bury the rump session issue and get on with the
legislative work.
The
truce has not stopped Sen. Edgardo Angara from defending the rump session,
saying that the House of Representatives recognized it when it acknowledged one
of the bills that was passed during the session.
"No
less than House Speaker Jose de Venecia signed that bill. That is solid proof
that the House recognized the validity of our June 3 to 6 sessions,"
Angara said.
He
cited several instances in the pre-martial law Senate that established that 12
is the majority when a member is absent:
• May
6, 1957, when the Senate voted on the bill that honored the late President
Ramon Magsaysay Sr.
• Feb.
22, 1966, when Senate President Arturo Tolentino ruled that 12 was the quorum
because there was one senator absent.
• Jan.
28, 1970, when Senate President Jose Roy also ruled that with one absence, 12
was the quorum.
Sen.
Barbers said if his colleagues continue to neglect their obligations as a
senator of the Philippines, it would be
better to surrender the judgment before the Filipino voters on whether or
not they're still deserving to be
elected as public servant.
///camille
p. balagtas