PBBM raises concern over Senate developments, urges professionalism ~ HUMAN RIGHTS PROMOTIONS

Friday, May 29, 2026

PBBM raises concern over Senate developments, urges professionalism

Friday, May 29, 2026 Herbert Curia - Promoter No comments

From the Website of PNA
links: https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1276135

PBBM raises concern over Senate developments, urges professionalism

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday expressed concern over recent developments

in the Senate, saying debates have increasingly become personal rather than issue-based.

Marcos, a former senator, said he has observed a shift in Senate discourse away from professional deliberation.

“Very [concerning]. I watched with horror that the Senate has become this,” he said in a media interview in Tokyo, Japan, recalling his earlier discussion with Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, also a former senator.

“Of course, the only basis for comparison that I have is the time that I was in the Senate. And I never imagined that the Senate would descend into this kind of what's happening right now,” he added.

He lamented that the tone of current Senate deliberations has apparently changed.

“’Yung Senado hindi na kagaya noong panahon natin. Dahil nagpe-personalan na eh. Naging personal. Ang babaw na nang usapan (The Senate is no longer like it was in our time. Because it has become personal. It has turned into personal attacks. The discussions have become shallow),” Marcos added.

He recalled that past Senate deliberations were marked by intense but respectful exchanges.

He said that even heated debates during plenary sessions were not taken personally.

“Mayroong mga senador na pagka mayroon kaming pinag-uusapan na sa trabaho, hindi kami naga-agree talaga. At saka tatayo, mag-interpolate. At saka ‘yung interpolation talagang mabigat. At saka well-studied and no-holds-barred interpolation (There were senators that when we were discussing work matters, we really did not agree. Then someone would stand up and interpellate. And those interpellations were really tough, well-studied, and no-holds-barred),” he said.

Marcos said legislative discussions should remain focused on public service and work, not personal conflicts.

“It’s about work. It’s not about personalities,” he said.

Marcos also expressed dismay over the “fake” shooting inside incident inside the Senate premises while Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa was still under the Senate protective custody.

Dela Rosa is facing arrest by the International Criminal Court due to drug war killings that happened while he was still the country’s top cop under the Duterte administration.

Marcos called on the senators to restore professionalism in the chamber.

“The Senate is now sheltering fugitives from justice. How did that happen? I don't understand how a Senate is supposed to function if those are the kind of things that the Senate is embroiled in. I hope they figure it out soon. I really do,” he said. (PNA)

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