Drilon sees attacks as a part of deliberate effort to abolish senate

Drilon said he was saddened by the criticisms hurled against the senate. (Photo: Senate of the Philippines/Facebook)

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Sunday expressed alarm that the continuous attack against the Senate could be a part of a deliberate and sustained effort to weaken it with the intention of abolishing the upper chamber and to lead the way for a unicameral system of legislature.

“I am very alarmed and concerned about this continued attack on the senate. It appears to be part of deliberate and sustained efforts to weaken and embarrass the senate as an institution,” Drilon said in an interview with DZBB on Sunday.

“For me, these attacks are meant to demean the senate in order to lay the groundwork for the abolition of the senate and pave the way for a unilateral congress,” he added.

Drilon also urged Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III to be “more vigilant in defending the independence and integrity of the Senate” regardless of political affiliation.

He added that Pimentel, as a Senator, has the obligation to defend the Senate as an institution of democracy.

“He (Pimentel) must rise above partisan political interest to defend the senate regardless of his political affiliation. Otherwise, the senate, unfortunately, becomes irrelevant as an institution of democracy in our system of governance,” Drilon said.

Drilon was referring to the recent remarks of Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez against the Senate in which he called the Senate a “mabagal na kapulungan (slow congress).”

In another interview over DWIZ, Drilon said he was saddened by the criticisms hurled against the upper chamber as it demeans Senate as an institution.

“I am saddened. This is the first time, in my 20 years as a senator, that I have seen a Speaker attacking the Senate,” Drilon said.

“It demeans the Senate as an institution. It could weaken the senate as one of the pillars of the democracy, which provides the necessary check and balance to hold our officials accountable,” he stressed.

The senator also compared the attack against the Senate to the attacks against the Ombudsman, the Commission on Human Rights and the Supreme Court.

“This is very alarming. If we let these attacks to continue, then it’s a matter of time before we see our democracy collapsing because critical institutions such as the Senate are weakened,” Drilon said.

The President of PDP-Laban Pimentel, however, on his side said that he already defended the senate by responding to party mate’s remarks. The Senator earlier responded to the remarks of Alvarez saying that the mindset of the senate is always “quality over quantity.”

“I have already defended the Senate by responding to what the Speaker has said. Drilon belongs to the Liberal Party while the Speaker and I belong to the PDP (Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan). Hence, why should I do that?” Pimentel said in a text message to reporters.