DEMAREE J.B. RAVAL
Mediocre senator
Sunday, 08 04, 2002
Sen. Cipriano Primicias 30 years ago described the Senate as a chamber of mature men who consider things soberly and are not stampeded into precipitate action. The way things have been going on at the Senate since Jaworski made the last-minute switch for “country and family,” the nation could very well be witnessing the intramurals in a different chamber. Consider the presiding officer of the Senate suspending the session to prevent a sober consideration of the legitimacy of the sessions held on June 3-6. What could be a more precipitate action than the presiding officer cutting off the minority leader from speaking, who had, under the Senate Rules, all the right to object or appeal the ruling to the chamber. Talking of lack of civility, this should be it, prompting one senator to describe it graphically: “Babuyan na ito!”
A senator – who is not exactly sober in thinking, made a joke himself last Tuesday during the debates on the validity of the sessions. Not one convincing word came out of the mouth of this senator; his words only flew back at him. He was probably not comfortable with Avelino v. Cuenco, or perhaps he was simply to lazy to study it, which is why he opted not to invoke it. Using the same acerbic language only he knows how to wield, this senator did no justice to his position.
The most absurd argument he could put forward to firm up his position that the sessions are not valid was the alleged failure of the secretary elected by the Senate on June 5 to receive his salaries. In the words of that senator: “Was he validly elected? No. Did he ever collect his salaries? No. In other words, for two months he was performing his duties without being able to collect his salaries.” Absurd, as it is fallacious. When did it ever become acceptable to equate legitimacy of election to office with one’s actually receiving his salary on time? If one were to stretch this argument to the situation of this senator who has barely touched his MOOE or even staffed his office, then he should not even be considered as a senator yet.
That was one sorry spectacle: This senator labeling a validly-elected officer of the Senate as a usurper; disclosing his personal impatience about the illegality of the sessions; and threatening to cut short the debates by using the majority vote of 13 on the alleged subtle maneuverings of the opposition. Hardly a meaningful debate with this senator. He was rambling, and pathetic with his worn-out argument that no department of government under the Constitution has given recognition to the sessions of June 3-6, with him not knowing that no less than Speaker de Venecia had already signed the enrolled copy of one of the bills passed on third reading by the Senate on June 5. This senator came unprepared. To be sure, Senator Angara acquitted himself quite well, citing Senate history. This senator who was at the receiving end of Angara’s dissertation could not even utter a reply.
This senator is better off spewing fire in the streets denouncing the excesses of government. But as a legislator, he is a non-performer. To put it most charitably, he is a mediocre senator. He did not distinguish himself in the House of Representatives for all the nine years he was there; he is just being consistent in the Senate, and the nation will have to live with that for the next five years.
If Senate President Drilon were to grade his team, this senator who is almost always glued to his seat would merit a grade worse than 5. He should already be sacked from the team for contributing nothing to the Senate and to the nation.
Consider his performance in the first regular session of the present 12th Congress. He coveted the blue ribbon, a committee created in 1950 with intentions to eliminate all forms of graft, corruption and criminal extravagance, and to restore the confidence of people in their government. After all, this senator was reportedly a graftbuster and, therefore, he would be a shoo-in to head the blue ribbon.
Now that the Senate is reorganizing the Drilon bloc should find somebody else to head the blue ribbon. This senator has a mile long list of referrals to his committee, but he cannot hack it. He has yet to make progress on the many scandals directed to the blue ribbon for investigation, like the Piatco deal and the P5 billion grant to SGS. Remember the telecoms bribery scandal, where this senator even berated the principal witness against the First Gentleman for reasons nobody in the committee could comprehend? Nothing has been heard of it since the last hearing on Dec. 10.
As a candidate, he was portrayed as the nemesis of the grafters in government. After only a short time, those who were made to believe in him are now utterly disappointed. Robert must be crying, regretting his having worked so hard for the election of this senator. Perhaps, the “Kabalikat ng Mamamayan Para sa Kaunlaran” should now give the nation P5,937,500 worth of medicines to heal our battered senses and failed expectations.
In times of political turmoil, we are always brought back to normalcy when somebody has the good sense to say: “F_ _ _ them who can’t afford to take a joke!” Unfortunately, the nation can ill-afford to take a joke from this mediocre senator – not anymore.
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