Senatorial aspirants former Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares and Atty. Chel Diokno gave the present Senate a passing grade for its performance while aspiring senator SAGIP Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta for Senator handed down “bitin (not enough)’ but did not fail” grade.
Colmenares, Diokno and Marcoleta cited the Senate’s oversight function to probe in aid of legislation a point in grading the Senate’s performance, in response to a query on what grade they will give the Senate at this time during their interview in Leadership Series of DZRH Special On Saturday (SOS) program on October 30.
While Colmenares and Diokno approve the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s exercise of oversight function to probe government transactions to be helpful in exposing anomalies, Marcoleta sees the senators prosecuting rather than probing in aid of legislation.
“I’ll just give it a little passing grade, in the sense na hindi naman sila bagsak, pero pasado. Ang kanilang pinasa na mga aspeto lalo na ngayon masugid ang kanilang imbestigasyon napabalitang korapsyon at kanilang masugid na pagimbistiga na rin sa mga kababalanghan sa gobierno,” Colmenares.
(I’ll just give a little passing grade, in the sense that they did not fail, but passed. The aspects where they passed especially the zeal of their investigation of alleged corruption and their zeal to investigate also the anomalies in the government.)
In grading the Senate, he weighed the role of the senators who fought for the interest of the people and those who sided with the policies of the Duterte administration like their approval of the “anti-people” rice tariffication law and anti-terrorism law.
“Malamang po, kung hindi sinagawa ng Senado ang imbestigasyon sa Department of Health (DOH) at sa Pharmally (Pharmaceutica Corporation), palagay ko talagang mababa ang maibibigay ko na grado sa kanila,” Diokno said.
(Most likely, if the Senate did not conduct the investigation of the Department of Health and the Pharmally, I assume I will give them low grades.)
He added that “because they have done that investigation, they deserve a passing grade.”
Marcoleta stands contrary to Colmenares and Diokno’s view regarding the exercise of the oversight function of the Senate and the ongoing investigation of the Pharmally, DOH, and Procurement Service Department of Budget and Management.
“Sa tingin ko, lumampas na sila sa kanilang tuntunin na kanilang sundin. Hindi na in aid of legislation at ang nakita ko, hindi na rin nakasalig duon sa oversight function dahil ang ginagawa nila prosecution na lang.”
(In my view, they have exceeded the rules they have to follow. It is not in aid of legislation and I saw it is not dependent anymore on the oversight function because they are doing prosecution.)
He said it is not the function of the Senate to prosecute and he advised the senators to forward the Pharmally case to the National Prosecution Service which will gather the evidence.
Marcoleta said he gave the Senate the grade of “not enough but did not fail” for its performance because his expectations were not met.
