Without my affirmative vote in the Philippine Constitutional Commission of 1986 that drafted the Philippine Constitution of 1987, we would probably have no Senators in the Philippine Congress today. We would have a unicameral Legislature. Thanks to my surname name being Villegas which made me the last to vote in alphabetical order, I broke the tie that resolved the issue of unicameral vs. bicameral. It was fate that made me the tie-breaker. For this reason, I feel a serious responsibility to explain why I valued the role of an upper chamber of “more senior, wiser, and more experienced” legislators for balancing the contribution to law-making of a lower house made up mostly of younger, less experienced, populist and parochial individuals. These adjectives are not meant to disparage the majority of the members of the Lower House. In fact, they are complimentary because senior and more experienced individuals are usually “up in the clouds” about down-to-earth issues that are more meaningful to voters at the district levels. That’s why “populist” and “parochial” should be taken as virtues at the level of the congressional district.
When I explained my vote, I theorized that in a presidential form of government (as contrasted with a parliamentary form), lawmaking would be enriched by having a lower house made up mostly of young, less experienced, and populist individuals who have the parochial interests of their constituents at heart (e.g. names to give streets, number of public schools to establish, local infrastructures to build, etc). Most of the members of the House of Representatives need not have a deep understanding of how the national economy works, international relations and geopolitics, the latest scientific discoveries and technological innovations and other issues that require highly advanced education. In fact, I pointed out that the very term “senator,” as first used in the ancient Roman empire, comes from the Latin word “senex,” which means advanced in years, implying that you must have lived long enough to acquire the experience and wisdom required of a “Senator.” I even made sure that in my explanatory speech, I gave concrete examples of the outstanding Senators during the 40 years after we became independent. I remember mentioning Lorenzo Tanada, Jovito Salonga, Jose Diokno, Ambrosio Padilla, and Soc Rodrigo. These were individuals of very high intellectual caliber, professional prestige, and moral integrity. A good number of them were actually professors and mentors of the younger generation, literally role models for intellectual accomplishments. There are always some very complex pieces of legislation that require high levels of learning and practical experience in the various human disciplines. That is why if, from time to time, some intellectually half-baked and populist piece of legislation that will affect the whole nation (like printing more money to solve the problem of unemployment) is able to survive scrutiny in the lower house, it is wise to have a higher body composed of people with higher learning to make the necessary corrections and amendments.
It is clear that matinee idols, super athletes, popular commentators, screen actors and actresses, comedians, and other individuals who are popular with the masses generally do not have the qualities I describe as the ideal candidate for Senator. Unfortunately, we have seen a good number of cases in which the voting masses considered only popularity (not competence) as the basis for electing candidates to the Senate. The more enlightened voters keep complaining that some of those elected to the Senate do not deserve to occupy their opposition in the Upper Chamber because of their very obvious lack of ability to understand some very complex issues involved in making laws. No matter how difficult it is to change this state of affairs (a good number of those whom some public surveys have shown to be among those most likely to be elected as Senators in the May 2025 elections do not have the qualifications that I have specified), we must do everything possible to enlighten the voting masses about what they should look for in a candidate for the Senate. We cannot just complain. We must act. With the help of political experts from WR Numero, a leading non-partisan public opinion research firm, I have prepared a list of individuals whom I think we should convince to run for the Senate in 2025. They may decide not to do so for one valid reason or another. But I still name them with their respective qualifications to hold them up as role models of people who deserve to be elected to the Philippine Senate. I want to present flesh and blood models of the ideal Senator as I described it in my explanation of my vote during the deliberations of the Constitutional Commission.
From recent surveys conducted by leading pollsters, most of the individuals listed in this article rank very poorly, if at all, as compared to movie stars, sports heroes, and TV and radio personalities. If they agree with me on the criteria I have set forth for a person to qualify to be voted a Senator in the Philippines, I appeal to all influencers, opinion makers, and bloggers to campaign for those on this list who will actually run for the Senate in May 2024. If we don’t exert the necessary effort to educate the masses to vote wisely, we have only ourselves to blame if the ones elected to the Senate leave a lot to be desired in their ability to craft enlightened laws because of their limited intellectual capacity or educational background.
Let us begin the enumeration of the Senatoriables. Although I am aware that former Vice President Robredo has decided to run for Mayor of Naga City (with the noble objective of continuing all the good things her late husband did when he himself was Mayor), I still am hoping that her friends can change her mind and convince her to run for the Senate. Whatever the case may be, I still want to hold her up as the perfect candidate for the Senate. She has an extensive background as an economist, lawyer, and university professor. She has political experience as a member of the House of Representatives and as Vice President. She is an experienced human rights lawyer and has demonstrated a great preferential option for the poor. During her tenure as Vice President, she launched Angat Buhay, a program aimed at improving the quality of life of underprivileged Filipino families by focusing on nutrition and food security, universal healthcare, skills training, socialized housing and resettlement, and women’s empowerment.
Robredo’s office of Vice President received the highest audit rating from the Commission of Audit for 2018 to 2020 and was recognized by Malacanang for its excellent pandemic response programs. During the Covid-19 pandemic, her office led comprehensive relief operations, including free transportation services for front liners, free nationwide teleconsultation services, and logistics and manpower support for vaccine distribution. The program also established vaccine express sites in partnership with local government units. Her educational background guarantees her understanding very complex national, international and geo-political issues involved in high-level legislative measures which may be beyond the understanding of otherwise equally talented people who have spent most of their lives acting, singing and dancing, hosting TV shows, boxing or playing basketball, etc.
Ms. Robredo’s educational attainment has prepared her well for the high-level intellectual pursuits demanded of members of the Senate. She has a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Caceres in Naga City and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of the Philippines in Diliman. A believer in life-long learning, Ms.Robredo has undergone significant upskilling and retooling by being named a Hause leader at the famous Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and obtaining a fellowship in Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center Residency Program. These programs have equipped her with more knowledge and skills in the science and art of good governance, which render her even more senatoriable and if she should decide in the future presidentiable. To be continued.