Leyte Rep. Ching Veloso said the Senate could be reduced to a mere “training ground” for presidential hopefuls under the proposed federal constitution by the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments that could also effectively strip the chamber of its legislative powers.
The panel vice chair in a DZBB radio interview claimed that most of his colleagues want the continued existence of the Senate under a federal Philippine government.
“There are lots of us here in the House that really would still favor the continuation of the Senate. Kaya lang dapat hindi na duplicitous yong law-making kasi ang pangit naman,” said the solon.
“Ang iniisip namin sa Senado ano…ako personally…Legislation will be basic responsibility ng mga kongresista. We call them federal assemblymen.”
“Ang Senado, we will make it a point to be the training ground for presidency. So siguro, wala na silang pakialam sa budget, wala na silang pakialam sa lawmaking,” Veloso said.
The Leyte solon said that senators under this setup would be confined to “confirmation” duties and “treaty ratification,” among others. (Ellson A. Quismorio)