Solon slaps down Congress ‘bullies’

A senator, burdened by doubts, accused her Congressional peers of “parliamentary bullying,” citing public hearings conducted and inter-chamber dealings.

Senator Nancy Binay on Saturday appealed to her colleagues in Congress “to forgo engaging in the lowest levels of unpleasantries and regressive civility — diminishing and humiliating the Senate.”

Public complaints on the conduct of the hearings are usually centered on the habit of senators and congressmen engaging in grandstanding during hearings to earn political brownie points.

“Sad to say, the behavior of some of our colleagues in Congress has fallen too far below the standard that the public expects from members of the legislature. The bullying, the absurd spats, the unnecessary remarks have brought shame on both houses of Congress,” Binay said in exasperation.

Binay then urged fellow lawmakers to work towards reviving a positive Philippine parliamentary culture to make them better public servants.

“I appeal to everyone to stand down and go back to work. Change should start in our institutions, and I do hope we all can get the people’s respect back,” she said.

She added: “Before calling for any change, let’s become better public servants first. I think that’s the most patriotic thing we can do for our country and people.”

Binay also cited what she termed as the “baseless accusations” against Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva by a member of the House of Representatives.

Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives have been engaged in a word war amid the controversial push for the People’s Initiative to amend the 1987 Constitution.

Binay said the brawl in Congress “has become the political equivalent of the tabloid talk show — Face-2-Face.”

“It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that politics bring out the worst in us. There’s nothing wrong with the Constitution. Oftentimes, the problems are the politicians themselves,” she added.

Binay lamented the “unreasonable, immature and unacceptable behaviors” do not stand on the side of accountability and moral responsibility as public officials.

“Aren’t we all expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity and trust? We need to take a good long hard look at ourselves if we are indeed spotless or walking the halls of Congress with our soiled feet,” she said.

“It is downright shameful to see members of Congress denigrating themselves by allowing juvenile instincts to overtake their more rational judgments, and abusing free speech for slander,” she added.

Toxic environment

Binay underscored that parliamentary bullying has become toxic and continues to fade people’s trust in lawmakers.

“The people do not want serial bullies in government. All they wanted are efficient and clean governance. We owe them that,” she said.

She then urged her colleagues in the Congress to leverage a positive change instead of “shamelessly throwing mud at each other.”

“As representatives of the people, if we are really serious about change, why can’t we all work for a positive work culture in our respective institutions,” Binay said.