PH needs an independent Congress – Binay
There is a need for an independent Congress with articulate members who can voice out the urgent needs of their constituents, and engage in debates, former vice president Jejomar Binay said on Wednesday.
“Members of Congress are elected by the people primarily to enact national laws. These are laws that will provide the basis and rationale for executive programs addressing the people’s urgent needs,” he said during a forum on good governance.
“It is, therefore, imperative that the elected representatives to Congress can articulate the sentiments of the people they represent,” Binay, a former mayor of Makati, added.
Binay is running as representative of the first district of Makati under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) ticket of incumbent Makati Mayor Abigail Binay.
As a representative, he said, one must be capable of engaging in debates and geared to fight for his/her constituents and of the entire nation.
“He must be ready to propose laws, and to face and engage in debate his fellow lawmakers, officials of the national government, and experts on economic matters, governance and other national issues faced by the nation at present,” he said.
The former vice president reiterated that the process of lawmaking is a serious business, saying it “should not be left to the unprepared, unprincipled, and inarticulate.”
As such, Binay decried the efforts to amend the Constitution and extend the control of the executive department over other branches of government, which have threatened the independence of these institutions.
“Congress, in particular, should be an independent and co-equal branch of government, alongside the Executive and the Judiciary. Yet in practice, any newly elected President would always move to secure control of Congress, particularly the House of Representatives,” he said.
It has become a “political ritual” that in the first months of a new administration, most legislators would abandon their previous parties to join the party of the new president, Binay said. Due to such, the system of checks and balances is abandoned in exchange for total loyalty to whoever occupies the seat of power.
“Our institutions, most especially the legislature, should never be a party to plots to prolong one group’s or one person’s stay in power at the expense of democracy and our Constitution. Congress should be an institution to build a country and achieve a vision, not a tool to undermine democracy,” he said.
Too much partisanship, according to him, has left no room for sober discussion on important issues, noting it was time for Congress to regain its role as fiscalizer. “I do not mean an obstructionist Congress, or legislators that oppose for the sake of opposing. What times demand is a constructive legislature and constructive legislators.”
“The priority should be the welfare of the people over political or party affiliations,” Binay said. He said Congress should debate how to allot government resources equitably, how to mitigate the impact of inflation, and how to share the gains of economic growth with the citizens.
“I believe it is time for Congress to be truly representative of the people rather than the ruling power. It may be a daunting challenge but I hope that, if given the opportunity, I will be equal to such as a challenge as the Representative of the People Makati,” he said.