Press Release
September 2, 2022

Robin, Ikinadismaya ang Di Pagdalo ng Ehekutibo sa Pagdinig sa Saligang Batas

Nadismaya si Sen. Robinhood "Robin" C. Padilla sa hindi pagdalo ng ilang opisyal mula sa Ehekutibo sa pagdinig ng kanyang Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes sa mga posibleng pagbabago sa ating Saligang Batas.

Bagama't nanawagan muli si Padilla para dumalo ang mga opisyal sa pagdinig, iginiit niya na hindi mangyayari ang ganitong kakulangan ng koordinasyon ng Ehekutibo at Lehislatura kung lumipat sa Parliamentary system ang Pilipinas.

"Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit hirap na hirap ang Senado na magimbita ng ibang secretary... Hindi ko po alam sapagka't itong Constitution natin ngayon sa 1987, ang sinasabi nito, merong balanseng kapangyarihan ang legislative at ang executive. Ibig sabihin pantay tayo ng kapangyarihan. Kapag inimbita sana ang taga-executive sana po ay mapagbibigyan nyo kami sapagka't dito di kami mga marites o parites... Itong bagay na ito ay hindi isang bagay na isinasantabi sapagka't Saligang Batas po ito," ani Padilla sa pagsimula ng ikatlong pagdinig ng kanyang komite nitong Biyernes.

"Sana mag-Parliamentary na lang tayo dahil sa Parliamentary, obligado silang humarap, isa na ang executive at legislative. Bawa't linggo doon sila sa harap natin pwede natin sila kwestyunin. Pwede sila natin makapanayam ng magandang usapan," dagdag niya.

Binasa ni Padilla ang laman ng sulat ng Department of Energy na hindi makadalo ang kinatawan nito sa pagdinig. Hiniling ng DOE na payagan itong magbigay ng "written comments at a later date after due internal study."

Ayon sa mambabatas, napakasensitibo ng usapan sa pagbabago sa Saligang Batas at dapat lahat na inimbita ay "magbigay ng interest" dito.

"Gusto natin bumalanse pero kung ganyan ang maabutan natin dito mag-Parliamentary na lang tayo, wala na pong paguusapan dito kundi mag-parliamentary na tayo para harap-harapan tayo. Ang hirap nito sa 'taguan,' hindi ako sanay sa 'taguan,'" aniya.

Sinuportahan siya ni minority leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, na dumalo sa pagdinig. "Hindi ko sinasabing panacea but improved by the parliamentary system. Kasi ang head of agency, head of the department implementing the laws passed by the Parliament or legislation belongs to the Parliament in a parliamentary system," aniya.

Dagdag ni Pimentel, sa isang parliamentary system, "walang takas."

Ayon naman kay Senators Ronald dela Rosa, "kung coequal branch of government we should respect each other."

Sang-ayon din si Sen. Francis Tolentino sa obserbasyon ni Padilla.


Robin Dismayed Over Executive Officials' No-Show at Hearing on Possible Constitutional Amendments

Sen. Robinhood "Robin" C. Padilla was dismayed Friday that some officials of the Executive Department were a no-show at the hearing of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes on possible enhancements to the Constitution.

While Padilla reminded these officials to show interest and show up at the hearing, he noted the lack of coordination between the Executive and Legislative would not have happened had the Philippines adopted a parliamentary system.

"Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit hirap na hirap ang Senado na magimbita ng ibang secretary... Hindi ko po alam sapagka't itong Constitution natin ngayon sa 1987, ang sinasabi nito, merong balanseng kapangyarihan ang legislative at ang executive. Ibig sabihin pantay tayo ng kapangyarihan. Kapag inimbita sana ang taga-executive sana po ay mapagbibigyan nyo kami sapagka't dito di kami mga marites o parites... Itong bagay na ito ay hindi isang bagay na isinasantabi sapagka't Saligang Batas po ito (I cannot understand why the Senate has a hard time inviting secretaries. Our 1987 Constitution says the legislative and executive are coequal. But the executive department's representatives who were invited do not show up. This cannot be set aside because this is the Constitution)," Padilla said at the start of the hearing.

"Sana mag-Parliamentary na lang tayo dahil sa Parliamentary, obligado silang humarap, isa na ang executive at legislative. Bawa't linggo doon sila sa harap natin pwede natin sila kwestyunin. Pwede sila natin makapanayam ng magandang usapan (I wish we were in a Parliamentary system because they would have been obliged to show up. We can exchange views with them and have a healthy exchange)," he added.

Padilla read the contents of a letter from the Department of Energy where it said its invited representative cannot attend the hearing. It asked that it be allowed to submit "written comments at a later date after due internal study."

He said a sensitive topic like the Constitution merits the interest of all stakeholders.

"Gusto natin bumalanse pero kung ganyan ang maabutan natin dito mag-Parliamentary na lang tayo, wala na pong paguusapan dito kundi mag-parliamentary na tayo para harap-harapan tayo. Ang hirap nito sa 'taguan,' hindi ako sanay sa 'taguan' (I want to make sure our hearings are balanced. We might as well shift to Parliamentary so we won't have all this 'hiding' because I don't like 'hiding')," he said.

Supporting Padilla was Senate minority leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, who attended the hearing. "Hindi ko sinasabing panacea but improved by the parliamentary system. Kasi ang head of agency, head of the department implementing the laws passed by the Parliament or legislation belongs to the Parliament in a parliamentary system (I am not saying this is a panacea but it can improve if we had a parliamentary system because the head of the agency implementing the laws passed by Parliament belongs to the Parliament)," aniya.

He added that under a parliamentary system, "walang takas (there is no escaping)."

Senator Ronald dela Rosa added that coequal branches of government "should respect each other."

For his part, Sen. Francis Tolentino agreed with Padilla's observation.

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Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkJwoNrdEIQ

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