Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Wednesday congratulated Filipino actor Robin Padilla for ranking high in the May 2022 senatorial race, saying he can fully represent the Muslim community in the Senate.
“I think his advocacy on Muslim participation is resonating,” Gatchalian said in an interview on One News PH Agenda with Cito Beltran.
“In fact, whenever, because we are both in the UniTeam, I’ve heard him speak about Muslim representation in the Senate and that seems to resonate to our people,” he said.
Gatchalian also noted that it has been quite a while since the Senate had a Muslim senator.
“Actually, he is correect. The last Muslim senator that we had, it’s been quite a while. And it’s about time that we have one Muslim senator that will represent the aspirations of our Muslim brothers and sisters,” he added.
Padilla has been ranking first in the partial and unofficial tally of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) transparency servers. On the other hand, Gatchalian has also entered the “Magic 12” ranking fourth in the unofficial partial results.
Padilla will possibly join the ranks of former Senator Santanina Rasul, the first Muslim woman member of the Senate, elected from 1987 to 1992 and from 1992 to 1995; and former Senator Mamintal A.J. Tamano, former vice governor of Lanao del Sur, who was elected into office from 1969 to 1972 and 1987 to 1992.
As a lawmaker, Rasul authored eight laws as chair of the Senate Committees on Civil Service and Government Recognition and Women and Family Relations, according to the Senate o f the Philippine’s legacy website.
Tamano, on the other hand, had worked for autonomy for the Muslims and the rest of Mindanao and on Mindanao’s natural resources to upgrade the conditions of that islands. He also became a member of then President Corazon Aquino’s cabinet as Deputy Minister of Foreign Relations in 1986.