Senate absentees get flak

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano is silent on reports that he is the top absentee among the 24 members of the Senate.

Cayetano earned the Senate’s top absentee title after attending just 36 of the upper chamber’s 54 regular plenary sessions from 24 July 2023 to 21 February 2024.

Records of the Senate Legislative Journal Service showed that of Cayetano’s 18 absences, four were for official missions.

Under the Rules of the Senate, official business or senatorial missions — local or international — are travels authorized by the Senate President.

Cayetano, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, also came in late 16 times during the same period.

DAILY TRIBUNE sought comment from Cayetano’s office, but it had yet to issue a statement at press time.

A Senate source said no sanctions are meted out to lawmakers who incur the most absences or tardiness.

“Senators Manny Pacquiao, Leila de Lima, and Panfilo Lacson once topped the list of lawmakers who were always absent during their time. No one was penalized or fined,” the source said.

Employees say it’s unfair

Several private and government workers interviewed said the treatment of politicians who were not performing well was unfair to regular workers who have to rush to their jobs to avoid deductions for being tardy or absent.

“These politicians have their air-conditioned cars, while we are literally rubbing elbows to commute in public transportation. When they’re absent or late, no sanctions at all? Life is indeed unfair,” said Aubrey Zen Tabilog, a staffer at the Quezon City Hall.

For Norielyn Boco, a human resources officer, elected officials who don’t fulfill their mandates should face corresponding sanctions.

“If the ‘no work, no pay’ policy covers regular employees like me, it should be the same for senators and congressmen,” Boco told DAILY TRIBUNE in Filipino.

The salary of a minimum wage earner in the National Capital Region is P610 per day or P17,080 per month, which is very minuscule compared to the salaries of senators and members of Congress, which range from P273,278 to P312,902.

But if they get appointed to a higher position, such as Senate President and House Speaker, their income will vary from P325,807 to P374,678.

“If they are not doing their job, they should not be compensated. They must show that they are doing their jobs properly because they are compensated with taxpayer money,” Boco said.

Gab Oblefias, a college instructor, echoed the same sentiment, stressing that government officials must explain the reasons for their absences.

“It is important that there is transparency and a clear explanation as to why they could not make it to their sessions,” he said.

Oblefias proposed that government officials face corresponding sanctions, such as fines, for every absence.

Meanwhile, Edbert Casten, a freelance writer, said the absence of government officials constitutes a lack of respect for the electorate that put them in their positions.

“It shows disrespect for those who trusted them, even just one day of absence, especially when we see how carefree they are in their personal lives,” Casten said in Filipino.

“Notice their vlogs and social media updates. It’s frustrating. So I think the appropriate punishment for lawmakers who are always absent is to remove them from office and not allow them to sit again as lawmakers,” he said.

He continued: “They have wasted enough time. I think that is the most humane punishment that can be given to them, and as negligent individuals, they should feel ashamed. They should take the initiative themselves.”

Other absentees

Trailing Cayetano with the most significant number of absences was Senator Nancy Binay with six absences, followed by Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara and Senator Francis Escudero with five absences each, and Senator Grace Poe with three absences.

Senator Imee Marcos, the elder sister of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., had two absences, while Senators Pia Cayetano and Francis Tolentino both had one absence.

Meanwhile, 12 senators tallied a perfect attendance in the same period. They were Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Senators Risa Hontiveros, Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Cynthia Villar, Christopher “Bong” Go, Jinggoy Estrada, Sherwin Gatchalian, Robin Padilla and Raffy Tulfo.

Other senators who did not have perfect attendance because they were on local and foreign official missions were Senators JV Ejercito, Lito Lapid, Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Mark Villar.