Robin: ‘Newbie’ solons taking jobs seriously
THE “new” Senate is not taking its job lightly as it looks for solutions to address the nation’s problems.
Senator Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla stressed this amid recent criticisms that members of the current Senate are not “honorable-looking.”
“Ang Senado po ngayon ay hindi nagpapatawa dahil ang minana namin na suliranin ng Bayan mula sa mga nagdaan na kagalanggalang at honorable senators ay hindi katatawanan. Seryosong pamana ito na dapat hinaharap ng may positibong pananaw (The Senate now is not in the business of comedy because we inherited many problems facing the nation from the honorable senators who came before us. These are serious problems that need solutions),” Padilla said.
He added the current crop of senators comes from a “new generation,” and their work is not based on being honorable-looking. Also, he said they are “from the masses and have their feet on the ground.”
Padilla likewise pointed out that while the current senators may seem “noisy,” they are not sleeping on the job or fiddling with their phones absentmindedly.
“Ang pagbibigay ng mungkahi ng isang senador sa gitna ng sesyon o talakayan ay hindi kalapastanganan kundi parliamentaryong pamamaraan na pinapayagan ng rules of Senate. Ang pagiging tao ng isang senador para makiusap sa kanyang kinasasakupan ay hindi isang kakulangan kundi isang pagpapakumbaba ng isang inihalal na dapat ay hindi mataas ang tingin sa sarili kundi isang lingkod Bayan na walang galang na po sa mga umuusig sa aming pamunuan (A senator giving inputs during session is not a violation but a parliamentary procedure allowed by the Rules of the Senate. A senator who talks to his or her constituents is not a liability but a humble fulfillment of obligations),” he said.
Also, Padilla defended Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, who he described as “magaling at diretsong pinuno” (wise and straight leaders)” and not traditional politicians who work for the nation.
“Sa kanilang dalawa ang lahat ay pantay-pantay kayat kaming nasa ilalim ng kanilang pamamahala ay mas nagpapakumbaba sa aming nasasakupan. Hindi kailanman ang pagiging honorable ang batayan ng serbisyo kundi kung sino ang nakapaglapit ng gobyerno sa tao. Masanay na po kayo sa bagong mukha ng Senado: Bata, Maliksi at walang paligoy-ligoy (In Zubiri and Villanueva, there is fairness and humility. Our service should not be judged by the way we look but on who brought the government closer to the people. Get used to the new face of the Senate – young and no-nonsense),” he said.
