In aid of aid

Some enterprising legislators have discovered the power of investigation and weaponized the system

The 1987 Constitution explicitly grants Congress the power to conduct congressional investigation and oversight “in aid of legislation.” Our learned and esteemed lawmakers have been loosely exercising this right since Congress possesses “all legislative powers.”

The framers of the Constitution gave the Senate and the House of Representatives such powers on the assumption that Congress will use these “inquisitorial powers” with the public interest in mind and conduct inquiries to seek out information when crafting or reviewing the legislation.

“In aid of legislation” is the mantra of our legislators to deflect all controversies, debates and discussions about these extra powers. They deem their capacity to investigate as an inherent right to perform their duties as legislators.

With the lockdown measures restricting mobility in its second year, confining majority of the citizenry in their homes, the television and their gadgets are the only things that connect them to the outside world. The age of information and technology has given our legislators the perfect platform to grandstand and get the publicity they seek when conducting legislative inquiries, broadcast for free on national television and streamed live via social media channels.

Alas, some enterprising legislators have discovered the power of investigation and weaponized the system to verbally abuse a resource person of a particular industry and conduct a demolition campaign, with the ultimate aim of “getting paid” instead of crafting a law.

A neophyte lawmaker who heads an influential committee has conducted several sessions to investigate an alleged public injustice, particularly in delivering utility services. At the onset, the legislator appears to provide good public service based on interviews and press releases. But the investigations are actually just a facade for a more ulterior motive.

Suppose our source in the august hall of Congress is to be believed. In that case, the father of this lawmaker is soliciting at least P500 million from a businessman who is one of the resource persons in the investigation. Allegedly, the money is in exchange to shield the businessman from any adverse impact from the ongoing inquiries.

Perhaps the fund will also ensure that the lawmaker’s committee will craft legislation that will favor the businessman’s interest — quid pro quo.

Or it could bankroll the legislator’s reelection bid in the coming 2022 polls, a lawmaker colleague said. Already, the lawmaker is spending oodles in television and radio ads to ensure a return to Congress.

At first glance, it would appear that this legislator is incapable of such a devilish scheme, but the public has been duped so many times, trusting a candidate based on his or her angelic look, only to be deceived in the end.

Since joining Congress, this lawmaker has held several powerful committees, including one influential committee that the legislator headed in the 17th Congress until the present.

The lawmaker comes from an influential family of politicians/businessmen who control a crucial city in the north, being a gateway of economic activities. In contrast, the businessman heads one of the biggest diversified conglomerates in the country and has interests in several industries.