BY RAYMOND AFRICA
SENATE President Francis “Chiz” Escudero yesterday said he will meet with Speaker Martin Romualdez next week to identify measures that will be prioritized in the third regular session of the 19th Congress.
Escudero has also said that he would attempt to “fix” the relationship between members of the two houses of Congress during his meeting with Romualdez.
In an interview at the Senate, Escudero said he had the chance to briefly talk with Romualdez last Tuesday and they supposedly agreed to set the dialogue next week.
He said on top of the agenda during the meeting would be the priority measures of the Senate and the House of Representatives which they will present at the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting scheduled on June 25.
He said they will also discuss the priority measures of senators while “taking into account” the legislative agenda of the lower house.
“Sa simpleng pananaw at lohika nabanggit ko sa kanya bakit sasayangin ng Kamara ang panahon nila sa isang bagay na hindi naman nais ng mayorya ng Senado? Bakit din namin sasayangin ang oras namin sa isang bagay na hindi naman gusto at nais ng Kamara? Mas nais naming pagtuunan ng pansin yung mga puwedeng pagkasunduan ng Kamara at Senado
(In simple terms and logic, I asked him [Romualdez] why the HOR is wasting its time on a thing that is opposed by the majority of senators? Likewise, why will we waste our time on something that the HOR does not like? We would rather focus on the things that the Senate and the HOR can agree on,” Escudero said.
Escudero said Senate president pro tempore Jinggoy Estrada and majority leader Francis Tolentino will join him during the dialogue.
When asked if they will tackle the proposed Charter change bill and the divorce bill, Escudero said: “Isa ‘yan sa matatalakay, tiyak ko (I’m sure that those will be part of the topics that will be discussed).”
Days after he was elected as Senate president, Escudero told reporters that a meeting with Romualdez is a must to “fix” the relationship of the Senate and the House after the two houses traded barbs over a number of contentious issues, including Cha-cha and the People’s Initiatives (PI).
He said he will seek to establish protocols on how to make the proper coordination between the two houses so that misunderstandings can be avoided.
“Sana maayos na, wala nang palitan ng maaanghang na salita dahil kahit naman hindi kami nagkakasundo sa isa, tatlo, o maraming bagay, hindi rason iyon para maghugas ng maruming damit, wika nga, sa publiko at magsabihan ng kung anu-anong salita na hindi parliamentary
(I hope we can fix it so that there be will no more exchange of heated words because even though we disagree on several things, that is not a reason to wash our so-called dirty linen in public because that is unparliamentary),” he said.
Escudero said that he and Romualdez will have to start with that agreement before they can discuss other matters.
“What needs to be mended (is) establishing rules and protocols on how to coordinate with respect to what they are pushing and what the Senate is pushing for to avoid misunderstandings or miscommunications,” he said.
Meanwhile, Escudero said he invited former Senate president Vicente Sotto and former senator Panfilo Lacson over lunch last Tuesday to seek advice on how to effectively handle his post as Senate leader.
“Bilang paghingi ng payo… sa nauna sa akin bilang pagtanggap na hindi ko naman hawak lahat ng kaalaman kaugnay ng puwestong hinahawakan ko ngayon (To seek advice to the one who has been the Senate president as a way of admitting that I do not have all the knowledge in relation to the post I am holding right now),” Escudero said.
