Senate’s poor rating blamed on infighting

The infighting among senators is the main reason for its low acceptance rating, Senate President Pro Tempore Manuel Villar said yesterday.

The other day, Social Weather Stations (SWS) released the results of a survey among businessmen in the country which showed that the Senate had a -4 acceptance rating.

Villar said that the SWS survey results indicated the disenchantment of the people with senators who continue to wrangle with one another.

"We are fighting on almost all issues under the sun, so we could not blame the people if they are displeased with us," he admitted.

Administration Sen. Ralph Recto, for his part, said the poor Senate rating was expected because of the infighting among members of the chamber.

He also blamed the low rating on various investigations "in aid of legislation" that did not result in anything and the low legislative output.

"We spent P2 billion and yet we passed only three laws," Recto said.

Political observers have noted that the present Senate is the most polarized in the entire history of the chamber. This is evident even at the Senator’s Lounge where opposition and majority senators seldom mix. The two groups seldom go beyond curt greetings to each other.

Villar said the Senate exemplifies the deep division in the country between the groups of President Arroyo and deposed President Joseph Estrada.

"The Senate is deeply divided. Until such a time that we can unite the Senate, we will continue to suffer from a negative impression by the people," he stressed.

He expressed the hope that the senators would stop the infighting so they could start having a favorable impression on the populace.

Sen. Joker Arroyo, meanwhile, blamed the almost endless investigation "in aid of legislation" by the Senate for the negative showing of the chamber.

Arroyo, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, said that these investigations have prevented the Senate from giving more attention to its more immediate task of lawmaking.

He contended that the poor showing of the chamber should not be blamed completely on the administration of Senate President Franklin Drilon.

"The opposition is partly to blame because they are the proponents of most of the investigations," Arroyo said.

He stressed that he will not be a party to investigations that are meant to sully the reputation of some people and neither would he agree to the use of the Blue Ribbon Committee for a "fishing expedition."

He expressed the belief that the moment senators give more attention to the enactment of vital pieces of legislation than to investigations, they will enjoy a more favorable rating by the populace.