With Bong Go onboard, Senate expects 'better relationship' with Palace
Published May 21, 2019 02:05 pm
By Vanne Elaine Terrazola
The Senate expects a "better" relationship with the Palace now that President Duterte's most trusted aide Christopher "Bong" Go has been elected senator.
Former Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go (MANILA BULLETIN)
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said with Go on board, there will be no more vetoing of bills since senators will now know which measures the Chief Executive and his Cabinet will support.
Zubiri said Go gave the assurance during a dinner meeting over the weekend along with other presumptive senators.
"Better," Zubiri told reporters when asked how Go's entry will affect the Senate's relationship with Malacañang.
"Actually we complained to him tungkol sa pagve-veto ng (about the presidential veto of) certain bills. Sabi niya hindi na daw 'yan mangyayari kasi as a member of the Senate siyempre he can assure senators na malalaman agad niya na kung okay ba itong batas sa Presidente, may support ba sa Gabinete (He assured it (veto) will not happen anymore since, as a member of the Senate he will know right away how the President and the Cabinet feels about certain bills)," he added.
"We cannot discount the fact na talagang napakalapit niya sa Pangulo (that he is close to the President)," Zubiri noted.
Zubiri intimated that some senators were "hurt" by Duterte's rejection of measures that have passed Congress like the enrolled bills on the distribution of the coco levy fund, the amendments to the Philippine Coconut Authority charter, the proposed strengthening of the Office of the Solicitor-General, and some provisions in the new Tax Amnesty Act, among others.
Senate leaders have blamed the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) for its failure to inform Congress about the reservations of the President over some legislative measures the Senate was working on resulting in the veto.
Senators have called for a revamp in the agency to make sure that it coordinates with the Legislative branch the concerns of the Palace about certain bills.
"Para masabihan na committee chair kung lulusot ba o hindi...Para 'di na mag-aaksaya ng oras at panahon (So committee chairmen would be informed if a bill will be approved or not...so we would not anymore waste time deliberating on measures that might be vetoed)," Zubiri said Monday.
But the Senate majority leader stressed Go's presence in the Senate does not assure the immediate approval of Duterte-backed bills like the proposed shift to federalism and death penalty.
"No...The Senate is not just a working Senate but a thinking Senate. We have to have long and hard discussion on these issues. Hindi basta-basta hook, line and sinker ipapasa natin ang measures na ito. And malaki ang implications," Zubiri noted.
"Kung magkamali tayo sa federalism it will cause the bankruptcy of our country. Kasi the cost alone is prohibitive. We’re not shutting it out. We’re looking at the best option for the country, pag-aralan natin nang mabuti," he added.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III has repeatedly assured of the Senate's independence.
Pangilinan resigns
Meanwhile, Senator Francis N. Pangilinan on Tuesday handed over his letter of resignation as president of the 73-year-old Liberal Party (LP) to party chairperson Vice President Leni Robredo.
Pangilinan made the “surprise” move after taking full responsibility for the results of the midterm polls which saw a complete shutout of eight-member “Otso Diretso.”
"As campaign manager for the Otso Diretso slate, I was unable to ensure our victory in the elections and I, therefore, assume full responsibility for the outcome and hold myself primarily accountable for this defeat and have tendered my resignation as president of the LP effective June 30, 2019," Pangilinan said in a press statement.
But the Vice President rejected the resignation of Pangilinan and Quezon City 6th District Rep. Kit Belmonte as party secretary-general.
“The VP has not accepted Senator Kiko’s and Cong Kit’s resignations. Much work remains to be done, and they will do it, together,” Robredo’s spokesperson Barry Gutierrez said.
Senate Minority Leader and LP Vice Chairman Franklin M. Drilon said: “We are deeply saddened by his resignation as our party president.”
“We did not expect it, especially in times like this when we need a steady hand to lead the party alongside Vice President Leni Robredo,’’ Drilon said.
Drilon said the Filipino people witnessed how Pangilinan worked hard and diligently to campaign for Otso Diretso candidates.
“Unfortunately, we lost,” he added.
“While his resignation is a class act, we hope that he will reconsider his decision. We will try to convince him to reconsider his decision and ask the party leadership to not accept his resignation,’’ he stressed. (with reports from Mario B. Casayuran and Raymund F. Antonio)
Former Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go (MANILA BULLETIN)
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said with Go on board, there will be no more vetoing of bills since senators will now know which measures the Chief Executive and his Cabinet will support.
Zubiri said Go gave the assurance during a dinner meeting over the weekend along with other presumptive senators.
"Better," Zubiri told reporters when asked how Go's entry will affect the Senate's relationship with Malacañang.
"Actually we complained to him tungkol sa pagve-veto ng (about the presidential veto of) certain bills. Sabi niya hindi na daw 'yan mangyayari kasi as a member of the Senate siyempre he can assure senators na malalaman agad niya na kung okay ba itong batas sa Presidente, may support ba sa Gabinete (He assured it (veto) will not happen anymore since, as a member of the Senate he will know right away how the President and the Cabinet feels about certain bills)," he added.
"We cannot discount the fact na talagang napakalapit niya sa Pangulo (that he is close to the President)," Zubiri noted.
Zubiri intimated that some senators were "hurt" by Duterte's rejection of measures that have passed Congress like the enrolled bills on the distribution of the coco levy fund, the amendments to the Philippine Coconut Authority charter, the proposed strengthening of the Office of the Solicitor-General, and some provisions in the new Tax Amnesty Act, among others.
Senate leaders have blamed the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) for its failure to inform Congress about the reservations of the President over some legislative measures the Senate was working on resulting in the veto.
Senators have called for a revamp in the agency to make sure that it coordinates with the Legislative branch the concerns of the Palace about certain bills.
"Para masabihan na committee chair kung lulusot ba o hindi...Para 'di na mag-aaksaya ng oras at panahon (So committee chairmen would be informed if a bill will be approved or not...so we would not anymore waste time deliberating on measures that might be vetoed)," Zubiri said Monday.
But the Senate majority leader stressed Go's presence in the Senate does not assure the immediate approval of Duterte-backed bills like the proposed shift to federalism and death penalty.
"No...The Senate is not just a working Senate but a thinking Senate. We have to have long and hard discussion on these issues. Hindi basta-basta hook, line and sinker ipapasa natin ang measures na ito. And malaki ang implications," Zubiri noted.
"Kung magkamali tayo sa federalism it will cause the bankruptcy of our country. Kasi the cost alone is prohibitive. We’re not shutting it out. We’re looking at the best option for the country, pag-aralan natin nang mabuti," he added.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III has repeatedly assured of the Senate's independence.
Pangilinan resigns
Meanwhile, Senator Francis N. Pangilinan on Tuesday handed over his letter of resignation as president of the 73-year-old Liberal Party (LP) to party chairperson Vice President Leni Robredo.
Pangilinan made the “surprise” move after taking full responsibility for the results of the midterm polls which saw a complete shutout of eight-member “Otso Diretso.”
"As campaign manager for the Otso Diretso slate, I was unable to ensure our victory in the elections and I, therefore, assume full responsibility for the outcome and hold myself primarily accountable for this defeat and have tendered my resignation as president of the LP effective June 30, 2019," Pangilinan said in a press statement.
But the Vice President rejected the resignation of Pangilinan and Quezon City 6th District Rep. Kit Belmonte as party secretary-general.
“The VP has not accepted Senator Kiko’s and Cong Kit’s resignations. Much work remains to be done, and they will do it, together,” Robredo’s spokesperson Barry Gutierrez said.
Senate Minority Leader and LP Vice Chairman Franklin M. Drilon said: “We are deeply saddened by his resignation as our party president.”
“We did not expect it, especially in times like this when we need a steady hand to lead the party alongside Vice President Leni Robredo,’’ Drilon said.
Drilon said the Filipino people witnessed how Pangilinan worked hard and diligently to campaign for Otso Diretso candidates.
“Unfortunately, we lost,” he added.
“While his resignation is a class act, we hope that he will reconsider his decision. We will try to convince him to reconsider his decision and ask the party leadership to not accept his resignation,’’ he stressed. (with reports from Mario B. Casayuran and Raymund F. Antonio)