Weak backer; credit grabber

Two years as Senate President was enough for Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III to help President Duterte fulfill some of his major campaign promises through the passage of administration-backed legislations but his removal as Senate leader was viewed as being the result of his having sat down on a lot of laws advocated by the President.

Pimentel helped in the approval of the Anti-Red Tape Law or RA 11032 and pushed for Senate Bill 1620 which called for the abolition of the graft-ridden Road Board

Pimentel served as Senate President from July 2016 to 2018.

As partymate of the President, Pimentel should have pushed for the administration’s legislative agenda. He still was credited for measures improving the state of students, private employees, members of the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines and farmers.

Among the laws passed during his watch as Senate President were Republic Act 10931 or the Free Education Act; RA 10969 that provided free irrigation to farmers; RA 10963 or the Lower Personal Income Tax; Joint Resolution 1 Series of 2018, which increased the base pay of men in uniform, and RA 10928 and RA 10930 that extended the validity of passports and driver’s licenses to 10 years and five years, respectively.

In pursuit of the President’s anti-corruption campaign, he helped in the approval of the Anti-Red Tape Law or RA 11032 and pushed for Senate Bill 1620 which called for the abolition of the graft-ridden Road Board.

Despite all these, Pimentel led the pursuit for a Federal shift in government from the current presidential system.

As Senate President, Pimentel also passed laws to benefit children, the youth and the sick through the School Feeding Program Law (RA 11037); Free Internet (RA 10929); Anti-Hospital Deposit (RA 10932), and Mental Health Act (RA 11036).

When he stepped down as Senate President, he authored and/or sponsored the following laws: Bangsamoro Organic Law (RA 11054); NBI Modernization (RA 10867); Estate Tax Amnesty (RA 11213); Absentee Voting for Members of the Media (RA 10380); Election Voting Accessibility Law (RA 10366); Biometrics Law (RA 10367); Reasonable Political Ad Rates (RA 11207); Foster Care Act (RA 10165); Expanded Senior Citizens Act (RA 10645); Streamlining the Sandiganbayan (RA 10660); Extending the prescriptive period for anti-graft and corrupt practices (RA 10910), and the Creation of Courts Nationwide.

He is among the prime movers for the shift from the current presidential form of government to Federalism. He is also advocating “peace economics” — stressing that peace and economic progress go hand in hand.

The son of former Senate President Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel II, Koko, as he is fondly called, is the president of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino.

Claiming to have championed a total of 345 bills and resolutions, Sen. Grace Poe is ranked among the top performers of the current 17th Congress.

Poe’s measures are aimed at promoting concerns and welfare of women and children and the youth; uplifting the economy and public services, and the improvement of health, education, employment opportunities, information technology and business.

She introduced 151 bills and filed the most number of resolutions with 141 and co-authored 53 others, earning her the moniker as one of the topnotchers in the Senate.

She passed a total of 51 laws, including two statutes awaiting the signature of President Duterte.

Among the legislations with national significance she pushed and supported were Republic Act 11037 or the Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act; RA 11148 or the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mga Nanay Act, and the Free Mobile Disasters Alerts Act or RA 10639.

The problem with Poe is the integrity of her claim, since she was found in the past to have exaggerated or even lied about her achievements.

For instance, a newspaper columnist wrote that she “had very little, if any role in the passing” of laws listed in her legislative record.

“It is an outright lie that she authored or co-authored the Free Mobile Texts during Disasters Act. Rep. Neri Colmenares and several of his colleagues introduced the bill in the House of Representatives, with no Senate version. Poe was the second sponsor in the Senate, after Sen. Ramon Revilla,” the report said.

“It is also an outright lie that she was responsible for Republic Act 10640 that streamlines the ‘Three-Witness Rule’ of the Dangerous Drugs Act. She was just one of the authors, the last to sign up, with its early authors being Senators Tito Sotto, Gringo Honasan, JV Ejerito and Jinggoy Ejercito-Estrada,” it added.

She also was not telling the truth in her claim she was responsible for RA 10645 (Expanded Senior Citizens Act) which provided for mandatory PhilHealth coverage for senior citizens. The bill was introduced by Sen. Ralph Recto, with sponsorship speeches made by Senators Teofisto Guingona III and by Recto himself.