Senators on Friday, August 27 slammed President Duterte for stating that congressional hearings do not yield positive results needed in governance.

Opposition Senator Francis ‘’Kiko’’ Pangilinan, president of the Liberal Party (LP), strongly suggested that ‘’Malacañang listens to the frontliners, the hospital operators, the LGU (local government officials) officials, all whom are frustrated and angered by the incompetence and the stench of corruption in the affairs of the DOH (Department of Health).’’

Senator Panfilo M. Lacson, on the other hand, said President Duterte should read the doctrine of separation of powers, and checks and balances, among the three branches of Philippine government – Executive, Legislative and Judiciary – before judging the Senate.

‘’Sa halip, asikasuhin niya ang mga kakulangan ng sangay ng gobyerno na kanyang pinamumunuan na hitik sa incompetence at corruption, hindi lang sa pagtugon sa pandemya kundi sa maraming aspeto ng governance (Instead, he should focus on the shortcomings of his Executive branch which is rife with incompetence and corruption in addressing the pandemic and many aspects of governance),’’ he said.

‘’Hindi dapat paniwalaan ng mga Pilipino ang pahayag ng Pangulo na walang nangyayari sa mga imbestigasyon na ginagawa sa Senado (Filipinos should not listen to the President’s pronouncements that nothing good comes out of Senate investigations). Maraming batas na pinakikinabangan ng taumbayan ang naipasa namin dahil sa mga inquiries at imbestigasyon na isinagawa namin (The Filipino people benefit from the many laws that we passed that resulted from our inquiries and investigations),’’ he added.

Lacson lamented that many ranking officials who have been the subject of investigations have not be charged because the President defends them.

‘’Hindi trabaho ng Senado ang magsampa ng demanda. Trabaho ng Executive Branch iyon. Judiciary naman ang magpapakulong,’’ (The job of the Senate is not to file charges. That is job of the Executive branch. The Judiciary jails them),’’ he emphasized.

‘’Mahirap bang i-memorize yan? (Is that difficult to memorize?),’’ Lacson added.

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