Press Release
September 14, 2011

CO-SPONSORSHIP SPEECH
SENATOR LOREN B. LEGARDA

P.S. RESOLUTION NO. 595:

EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE TO JOIN THE COMMUNITY OF NATIONS AND PARLIAMENTS AROUND THE WORLD, AND ENCOURAGE ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS TO ENGAGE IN MEANINGFUL ACTIVITIES COMMEMORATING THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL DAY OF DEMOCRACY ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2011 WITH THE THEME: "WHAT DO CITIZENS EXPECT FROM THEIR PARLIAMENTS?"

Senate Session Hall, September 14, 2011

Mr. President,

As Chair of the Committee on Foreign Relations, I rise to co-sponsor Senate Resolution No. 595 and join the international community in celebrating the Fourth International Day of Democracy tomorrow, September 15.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union, or IPU, has adopted for this year's theme a tenet of democracy posed as a question to us all, "What do citizens expect from their parliament?" This special day offers us then a timely opportunity to reflect and engage in a fresh dialogue about people's expectations of their government, the role of parliament and how to strengthen democracy. As elected representatives, we must, at all times, be accountable to the people. Upon us rests the constitutional duty to serve our people with utmost responsibility, loyalty and integrity. And above all, we have the moral obligation to our people to discharge our lawmaking and oversight functions to the best of our abilities.

Equally important, we must be responsive to what our people truly need, to what they are truly saying and expecting us to do.

We listen to them as we invite them to our offices, to our committee public hearings and inquiries. We encourage them to write to us. We bring our inquiry outside the four walls of the Senate committee room and into their communities in order to gather, first hand, what our people's views and sentiments really are, unfiltered, uncensored. We take these views into account as we formulate our Committees' priority measures. In my speech made in this very same Hall two years ago, on a similar occasion as we celebrated the 2nd International Day of Democracy in 2009, I said, and as I continue to emphasize today, that the public must be allowed to take a larger part in parliamentary work and its processes. We must encourage greater participation of all in the development process, especially the marginalized sectors.

Mr. President,

Democracy may be our hallowed ideal but it will remain a hollow virtue if it does not make a true difference in the lives of our people, if it does not translate to equal protection under the law, if it does not translate to effective responses to our people's changing needs and problems, if it does not allow all our constituents the opportunity to voice out their true sentiments, aspirations and expectations.

As legislators and policy makers, we are the guardians of our democracy. We should help one another, within the framework of our Constitution, to push for transparency and accountability, to maintain the trust of our people; for improved parliament-citizen relationship; for increased and meaningful constituency work; and greater parliamentary representation through our advocacy work inside and outside the halls of the Senate.

Mr. President, my esteemed colleagues, the International Day of Democracy then is not just a celebration. It is a constant reminder for all peoples in the world, for all of us, to continue to promote and protect our democratic way of life.

Thank you.

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