Rising from the ashes

2010 YEARENDER

A new administration and a new set of legislators took the helm in 2010, raising hopes that the country would be able to leave the supposedly stained legacy of the immediate past leadership through reforms spelled out by President Benigno Aquino 3rd. Then President Gloria Arroyo, however, would not be denied her place in Philippine electoral history, having effected through the Commission on Elections (Comelec) the country’s first fully automated elections–the May 10 balloting.

Her term ended on June 30, the day then Senator Aquino ascended the presidency.

The Comelec was able to proclaim the winning senators in less than a week after the completely digital polls.

The victors were Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. from Lakas-Kampi Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD), with 19,513,521 votes; Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), 18,925,925; Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Progressive Reform Party, 17,344,742; Franklin Drilon, Liberal Party (LP), 15,871,117; Juan Ponce Enrile, PMP, 15,665,618; Pia Cayetano, Nacionalista Party (NP), 13,679,511; Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., NP, 13,169,634; Ralph Recto, LP, 12,436,960; Vicente “Tito” Sotto 3rd, Nationalist People’s Coalition, 11,891,711; Sergio “Serge” Osmena 3rd, Independent, 11,656,668; Manuel “Lito” Lapid, Lakas-Kampi CMD, 11,025,805; and Teofisto Guingona 3rd, LP, 10,277,352.

Presumed frontrunners Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel and Rufino Biazon of the LP, Jose de Venecia 3rd of PMP, Gilbert Remulla of the NP and Danilo Lim, Independent, lost their bids for the Senate.

The next battle was for the vacant top post in the chamber.

Enrile said that he had no intention of running for Senate president again after he retained the post shortly before Villar announced his bid to run for president in the May 10 elections.

Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan announced his intention to run for the Senate presidency despite Santiago claiming that it was in Villar’s bag already.

Needing 13 votes to secure the chamber’s leadership and, thus, ensure a “friendly” Senate for President Aquino–a member of the Liberal Party–Pangilinan sought support for his bid from all parties except the NP, with whom the LP was at odds during the campaign period.

Perceived voting blocs in the Senate were Villar, Pia and Alan Cayetano; Santiago, Marcos, Loren Legarda and Joker Arroyo for the NP’s bet; Pangilinan, Drilon, Guingona, Ralph Recto, Francis Escudero, Estrada, Enrile, Osmena, Panfilo Lacson and Antonio Trillanes 4th for the LP’s candidate; and the Angara bloc composed of Edgardo Angara, Lapid, Revilla, Sotto, Juan Miguel Zubiri and Gregorio Honasan.

With Mr. Aquino having been elected President of the Philippines, the Senate had one vacancy to fill in.

Large margin

Feeling that he would not be able to secure the 13 votes needed to clinch the Senate presidency, Pangilinan withdrew his candidacy and he other senators from the Liberal Party threw their support behind Enrile.

Legarda nominated Enrile and Joker Arroyo nominated Alan Cayetano.

Predictably, Enrile won by a large margin–17 votes to Cayetano’s three.

Alan Cayetano became the Minority Floor Leader, Estrada the Senate President Pro-Tempore and Sotto the Majority Floor Leader.

The Senate held televised inquiries into the “huge compensations” being received by officials of government-owned and -controlled companies, the August 23 hostage-taking, the jueteng-lord scandal, the amnesty offered by the President to rebel soldiers and the torture of an alleged pickpocket by police officers.

Before the Christmas break, the senators had passed on third and final reading only four out of the 2,626 bills that they filed.

They will resume session on January 17.

Records of the Senate Legislative Bills and Index Service showed that among the four bills approved by the Senate during the Fifteenth Congress was the General Appropriations Act of 2011, which was passed on December 1.

Enrile noted that this was the earliest the chamber had passed a budget bill since 1987 or the Eighth Congress.

He said that the ratification of the bicameral report on December 13 was also the earliest since the Eighth Congress.

“Behind this achievement is the laborious and tedious work conducted by our Committee on Finance and its sub-committees,” he said in his speech during the last Senate session before the chamber went on holiday recess.

Other notable bills approved by the Senate were Senate Bills 78, 138 and 2559.

Filed by Estrada, Senate Bill 78 seeks to increase the minimum wage of household helpers and provide them with additional benefits such as P2,500 if they are within Metro Manila, P2,000 if they are in chartered cities and first-class municipalities and at least P1,500 for those working in third-class municipalities.

Senate Bill 138, which was filed by Trillanes, Drilon and Pia Cayetano, aims to expand the country’s mandatory basic immunization program for infants to include immunization for Hepatitis B.

Senate Bill 2559, filed by Zubiri wishes to grant Philippine citizenship to American basketball import Marcus Douthit to allow him to play for the Smart Gilas Pilipinas Team in major Asian basketball tournaments.

Enrile said that the Senate primary committees and sub-committees held a total of 125 public hearings from July to November of this year.

Seven bills

He added that at least seven more bills are pending final approval by the chamber.

“We have laid down legislation that will serve as cornerstones for other laws that may further address the economic needs of our people, build more infrastructure called for by investors to facilitate trade and commerce and generate employment, lessen corruption in government and establish the proper environment for reconciliation and peace,” Enrile said.

Also before the holiday break, the Senate had been able to ratify 30 resolutions that commended Binibining Pilipinas Venus Raj for being crowned fourth runner-up in the 2010 Miss Universe Pageant in August, Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao for beating Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto in November and Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal for his service to the people of Cebu.

Creating noise toward the end of the year was the Senate adopting a resolution from the House of

Representatives and concurring with Mr. Aquino’s Proclamation 75, which granted amnesty to rebel soldiers who tried but failed to topple then President Arroyo.

The resolution allowed Trillanes to be freed from his detention cell in Camp Crame in Quezon City.

He is now under the custody of Enrile after walking free on December 20.

Trillanes is on provisional liberty but he is expected to be a “free man” once the government amnesty program takes effect.

He has visited his office at the Senate and held a press conference at the Kapihan sa Senado shortly after he was released.

Trillanes, in detention for seven years after two failed attempts to overthrow Mrs. Arroyo, became the first Philippine senator to be elected while in jail.

Temporary freedom

He still faces coup d’etat and rebellion charges before two Regional Trial Courts of Makati City.

But Trillanes’ temporary freedom apparently was nothing compared to the buzz created by Lacson, who went into hiding after a warrant of arrest was issued against him on January 7 for two counts of murder.

The controversial senator from Cavite was linked to the murder of Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and that of Dacer’s driver Emmanuel Corbito who were both found dead in November 2000.

Lacson has not surfaced since the start of the year.

Recently, however, he sent a message to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.

“Don’t look for me. Look at the evidence. It’s right under your nose. It won’t cost you two centavos to fulfill your duty to provide justice to all concerned,” part of the senator’s statement said.

That was the last time that the Fifteenth Congress heard from him.

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