OUTGOING Senate President Vicente Sotto III yesterday advised newly elected senators to be well-prepared when engaging their colleagues, especially veteran lawmakers, in plenary discussions.
Sotto gave the advice as he bows out as the highest Senate official on June 30.
“Hanggat maaari iwas muna unless ‘ika nga ay kabisado mo ang isyu na tatayuan mo. Kasi whether you will interpellate or you will be interpellated kailangan kabisado mo ang isyung pinag uusapan… I learned this through college in a debate. The one who excels is the one who is prepared, kung sino ang prepared doon sa issues ‘yun ang mamamayani sa mga debate. So, kung basta na lang sasabak ka sa isang debate na hindi mo naman pulso, hindi mo kabisado, baka madapa ka nang maaga (Avoid debates as much as possible unless you know very well the issue you will stand for. Because whether you will interpellate or be interpellated, you need to have wide knowledge of the topic being discussed…I learned this through college. In a debate, the one who excels is the one who is prepared, the one who is prepared about the issue will be victorious. So, if you will just engage your colleagues in a debate and you don’t know the pulse, or have not mastered the topic, you might stumble early on into the game),” Sotto told reporters in a farewell dinner Sunday night.
Sotto is set to end his stint as a senator on June 30 after finishing two consecutive terms of six years. He ran as vice president in the last elections but lost to Vice President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio.
Sotto said new senators, including broadcaster Raffy Tulfo and actor Robin Padilla, should know where they stand in every issue being tackled on the Senate floor before opening their mouths.
“Be diligent, practice diligence. Review the rules or study the rules and review the traditions in the Senate. I don’t think you can go wrong as long you follow the traditions in the Senate,” he said.
“Pakiramdaman mong mabuti ang sitwasyon sa Senado, huwag munang sugod nang sugod.
Mas magandang making ka muna, mag-aral ka, practice due diligence. I think that is a sound advice. It won’t hurt for them to follow (They should learn to feel the situation in the Senate. Don’t be too eager to engage in debates. It is best if you listen first, study, and practice due diligence. I think that is a sound advice. It won’t hurt for them to follow),” he said.
On the other hand, outgoing Sen. Panfilo Lacson said it will not be a loss for newbie senators if they will stay humble while learning the ropes of legislation.
“Humility is a virtue. If you are a new senator, be humble, be modest and try to learn the art of legislation,” Lacson said during the same farewell dinner.
Tulfo, who attended the orientation for new senators at the Senate on Monday, said he will heed the advice given by Sotto and Lacson.
“Exactly, dapat katulad naming bagito hindi dapat nagmamarunong. We should be humble enough to accept the fact that we don’t know everything, and we should learn from everybody, especially sa beteranong senador (Exactly, we, the new senators, should not pretend to know everything in legislation. We should be humble enough to accept the fact that we don’t know everything, and we should learn from everybody, especially from the veteran senators),” Tulfo said.
