Senators, staff show solidarity with maroon armbands

MANILA, Philippines — After making its voice heard in the controversy over the people’s initiative, the Senate is also making its position seen in maroon armbands worn by members and employees.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian and Sen. JV Ejercito said yesterday the wearing of armbands is their way of spreading information about the dangers of the people’s initiative.

“The armband is a show of solidarity for the Senate and show of solidarity to the checks and balances of our system. And also, in protest against the people’s initiative,” Gatchalian said.

“Information needs to be disseminated. Many of our compatriots signed the so-called people’s initiative, in exchange for something. It is necessary to educate them on what the real issue here is,” Ejercito said.

Except for Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III, all the senators wore armbands, but his office maintained that he is supportive of the Senate’s position against people’s initiative.

Senate Secretary Renato Bantug said the wearing of an armband was the initiative of the employees, secretariat and the offices of the senators, “as a show of solidarity and support for our institution.”

Maroon is the color of the Senate flag, he said.

“And to recall, it is also the color chosen by our senators for their impeachment trial robes (Oxford crimson),” Bantug added.

The people’s initiative being pushed by the House would in effect require the Senate and the House to vote on Charter change amendment jointly and not separately. Senators said their 24 votes would certainly get overwhelmed by the House’s more than 300 votes.

Senate employees interviewed said they support the wearing of maroon armbands to help educate the public about the dangers of people’s initiative.

“As the senators said, the Senate is the last bastion of democracy. We should not allow the PI,” an employee said.

Meanwhile, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri in a privilege speech said President Marcos is set to appeal to the House of Representatives and the other initiators of the people’s initiative to stop their signature drive or their own version of amending the 1987 Constitution as the issue “is getting out of hand.”

“We in the Senate thank the President for his commitment, and we remain firm in our vigilance against any attempts to destabilize our democracy. We maintain that the ongoing people’s initiative is flawed and unconstitutional, and offers no solution to the problems most urgently affecting our people,” he noted.

The Senate President said presidential intervention would certainly put to rest the word war between the Senate and the House. “We are hopeful that the President’s directive will reinforce the relationship between the Senate and the House as co-equal branches of legislation, one in our mandate of serving the people, and no one else,” he said.

“In light of the Senate’s unanimous and staunch rejection of this undemocratic people’s initiative, I had an opportunity to meet with President Marcos this morning, and I have his permission to disclose what we discussed,” Zubiri added.

“In no uncertain terms, the President expressed the need to protect the bicameral nature of Congress, which upholds the system of checks and balances within the legislative branch and strengthens that check and balance between the different branches of government,” he pointed out. “We know that the President has ably served as a senator himself, and he knows firsthand the value of bicameralism. He knows that if the Senate’s approval is needed merely to change the name of a street, then the Senate cannot have a dispensable role in Charter change.”

No Senate abolition

Meanwhile, party stalwarts under the supermajority coalition in the House of Representatives declared Monday that efforts to amend the 1987 Constitution, by way of people’s initiative, will definitely not result in the abolition of the Senate.

Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. of the ruling Lakas-CMD, Reps. Zaldy Co of the Party-list Coalition Foundation Inc., Jack Duavit of Nationalist People’s Coalition, Robert Ace Barbers of Nacionalista Party and Albert Garcia of the National Unity Party said no such thing will happen.