• ‘Your government is constantly finding that magic balance of easing quarantine restrictions on one hand, and opening economic activities on the other. Armed with our peoples’ discipline and vigilance, we should be able to revive enough business activities in order to stimulate income and employment’ — Senate President Vicente Sotto.
• On July 28, the Senate also approved the "Bayanihan to Recover as One" or Bayanihan 2, which provided P165.5 billion to sustain the country's COVID-19 response and stimulate economic recovery.
• Senators also cited as a top accomplishment their timely passage of the P4.5-trillion 2021 General Appropriations Bill.
• The Senate approved the proposed ‘Doktor Para sa Bayan’ Act which provides for a scholarship and return service program for qualified aspiring doctors.
• The devastation caused by typhoons ‘Quinta,’ ‘Rolly,’ and ‘Ulysses’ early November prompted the Senate environment and public works committees to review existing laws and regulations to mitigate the impacts of such calamities.

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The year 2020 proved to be an eventful and difficult year for Filipinos as crises battered the country one after another: A destructive volcanic eruption, a series of typhoons, and an outbreak of a virus that continues to infect thousands by the day.

These crises kept the Senate the Philippines busy for the year, its members allotting hours for discussions and also crossing party lines to come up with pieces of legislation that they believe would help respond to the people's needs and address gaps in current policies.

"We in the Senate are used to dealing with political upheavals. This institution had done so on many occasions in the past. But I think I speak in behalf of my colleagues in the Senate when I say that the 18th Congress — despite having to face one of the most challenging circumstances in its history — had done so with utmost calm and amity," Senate President Vicente Sotto III said in his speech last Dec. 16, the chamber's last session day for 2020.

Key legislation

When the Taal Volcano erupted and covered a wide swath in ashes on Jan. 12, senators were quick to propose ways to help displaced families and rehabilitate communities.

Senators in the majority bloc reiterated the call for permanent measures to mitigate the impacts of natural disasters and calamities, particularly the creation of a department for disaster management.

Around this time, the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) had started spreading around the globe. Since then, senators had been calling for a briefing from the government on its preparedness in detecting and preventing its outbreak in the country, as well as in reducing its impacts.

Upon President Duterte's call, Congress on March 23 convened a marathon special session to pass a measure that would help the government deal with the COVID-19 crisis.

Senators burned the midnight oil discussing and ironing out issues in the grant of special powers to the Chief Executive under what would later be called the "Bayanihan to Heal as One Act" or Bayanihan 1.

This included the authority to tap at least P275 billion of unused funds from agencies to finance health and social amelioration programs, among others.

On July 28, the Senate also approved the "Bayanihan to Recover as One" or Bayanihan 2, which provided a total of P165.5 billion to sustain the country's COVID-19 response and stimulate economic recovery.

Senators also cited as a top accomplishment their timely passage of the P4.5-trillion 2021 General Appropriations Bill.

The spending bill allocates, among others, a total of P72.5 billion for the purchase and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, which the administration is banking on to end the country's crisis.

The Senate also extended the validity of the Bayanihan 2 law to June 30, 2021, as well the validity of the unspent funds under the 2020 national budget until end of 2021, to further augment the country's coffers for COVID-19 response.

The Senate also approved the proposed Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) law seeking to immediately lower corporate income tax to drive up investments, and rationalize tax incentives.

The proposed Fiscal Institutions Strategic Transfer (FIST) law, which would help the financial sector mitigate the long-term impacts of the pandemic, was also recently ratified by the Senate.

Doktor Para Sa Bayan Act

COVID-19 also highlighted existing problems in the country, such as the lack of doctors. This prompted the Senate's approval of the proposed "Doktor Para sa Bayan" Act which provides for a scholarship and return service program for qualified aspiring doctors.

Senate leaders also pushed the approval the bill that would allow the President to expedite the processing and issuance of permits in times of national emergencies, in another effort to cut red tape in government and further speed up economic recovery.

The Senate also heard the call of teachers for additional benefits amid the shift to alternative learning modes, and passed the proposed Teaching Supplies Allowance Act to raise the allowance of basic education teachers from P3,500 to P10,000 in four years.

Small farmers affected by the pandemic also stand to benefit from the Senate Bill No. 1927, which seeks to distribute as direct cash assistance the excess tariffs collected by the government from imported rice.

Due to reports of increasing domestic violence on women and children during the lockdowns, the Senate also began discussing this year the proposals to raise the age for determining statutory rape from 12 to 16. The measure has been approved on the committee level.

The devastation caused by typhoons "Quinta," "Rolly," and "Ulysses"early November, meanwhile, prompted the Senate environment and public works committees to review existing laws and regulations to mitigate the impacts of such calamities.

Senators vs Duque

As months passed, the number of COVID-19 cases in the country grew and so was the dissatisfaction of senators -- including administration allies -- on Department of Health (DoH) Secretary Francisco Duque III's handling of the COVID-19 outbreak.

On April 16, 16 senators from the majority bloc signed a resolution calling for Duque's immediate resignation for his "failure of leadership, negligence, lack of foresight and inefficiency."

Those who signed the resolution were Sotto, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, Emmanuel Pacquiao, Sherwin Gatchalian, Francis Tolentino, Joel Villanueva, Ronald dela Rosa, Imee Marcos, Lito Lapid, Ramon Revilla Jr., and Panfilo Lacson.

They said Duque's performance resulted in the "poor planning, delayed response, lack of transparency, misguided,and flip-flopping policies and measures" against the pandemic.

Senators grilled Duque when he declared during the Committee of Whole's May 20 hearing that the country was already experiencing a second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak -- a statement quickly retracted by his agency and negated by the Malacanang.

Members of the Senate also faulted Duque, on top of other health officials, when it investigated the alleged corruption of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation's (PhilHealth) reimbursements to hospitals.

While Duque denied his involvement in any of the irregularities in the state insurance agency, senators, adopting the Committee of the Whole's report and recommendations, said he, as its ex-officio chairman, should be held liable for the "unlawful" releases in the PhilHealth's interim reimbursement mechanism (IRM).

Despite Duque's refusal to step down and President Duterte's repeated defense of his DOH Secretary, senators have since maintained their position against Duque.

COVID-19

Like other institutions, the Senate also saw the need to cope with the pandemic, implementing virtual committee hearings and plenary session to prevent the spread of the disease.

But even senators were not spared from COVID-19. Fortunately, they managed to recover from the deadly disease.

Last March 16, Zubiri announced that he tested positive for the infection, which he believed was due to an exposure to a Senate resource person who was later found to be a COVID-19 case.

He was the first Philippine government official to make public his health condition, despite being asymptomatic.

Days later, Sen. Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III said that he, too, contracted the disease.

His announcement, however, sparked criticisms after it confirmed reports then that he was not in quarantine and accompanied his then pregnant wife to a hospital in Makati City.

Pimentel now faces a complaint before the Department of Justice for supposedly violating quarantine protocols, a claim he repeatedly dismissed.

Last March 26, Angara disclosed that he was also COVID-19 positive. He said experienced symptoms such as fever, cough, and weakness.

Revilla announced last Aug. 9 on Facebook that he also got infected with the novel coronavirus. He developed pneumonia and was rushed to a hospital. He was discharged since his condition had improved.

Dela Rosa recently recovered from COVID-19 after testing positive last Nov. 20. After days of isolation and hospital treatment, he said is already negative of the virus.

Hopeful

While the end of the COVID-19 crisis remains to be seen, Sotto said he is hopeful that "the darkness will soon be dispelled by the light."

"In the world, the mad race for the vaccine -- it’s discovery, testing, and mass distribution -- is nearing the finish line. I share the optimism of the scientists that, soon, we shall be able to live alongside this virus with less sorrow and fear," he said.

"Your government is constantly finding that magic balance of easing quarantine restrictions on one hand, and opening economic activities on the other. Armed with our peoples’ discipline and vigilance, we should be able to revive enough business activities in order to stimulate income and employment," he added.

Sotto vowed that the Senate will continue to work towards helping the country return to normal.

"I know that these (measures) may not be enough for now. But rest assured that your Senate will continue to act comprehensively to timely address our country’s needs," he said.