‘Super majority’ not a guarantee of rubber stamp Congress for Duterte, experts say

With President-elect Rodrigo Duterte all but assured of majority support in Congress, political analysts on Wednesday weighed in on whether the legislature would become a rubber stamp of the next administration.

Duterte's key allies have successfully sealed alliances with several political parties as he plans to shift the form of government from presidential to federal, relax restrictions on foreign ownership of certain businesses, and re-impose the death penalty for heinous crimes.

Expected to shepherd his legislative agenda are his PDP-Laban party mates Senator Aquilino Pimentel III and incoming Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, who are due to be named Senate President and House Speaker, respectively, when the 17th Congress opens on July 25.

Alvarez said more than 200 of the 290-member House of Representatives are now on Duterte's side while at least 17 out of 24 senators indicated their support for the incoming administration which will take power on June 30.

Duterte's "astonishing super majority" gives the incoming president a "historic opportunity" to push for major reforms by passing legislation against oligopolistic policies, political dynasties, freedom of information, and installation of a federalist-parliamentary form of government, according to De La Salle University political science professor Richard Heydarian.

"The challenge is to make sure he doesn't squander the massive legislative support by spreading his agenda too thin among various legislative reform agenda. And it's important he operates within the boundaries of his constitutional mandate and respect the principle of checks and balances," Heydarian told GMA News Online.

University of the Philippines political science professors Jean Franco and Jan Robert Go, on the other hand, opined that it was too early to tell if Congress would display blind loyalty to Duterte.

"Well it remains to be seen when Congress opens. In that case, civil society groups and the media must be vigilant so that valid criticisms against the Duterte regime will not get stifled," Franco said.

"It might be too early to say that it is a rubber stamp. Having a super majority in both houses of Congress means legislators do not want to be left behind in terms of projects," said Go.

"Representatives are concerned of what services they can give their constituents. Also, in the share and balance of power within the House, those who have influence would want to keep the same influence in the next Congress," he said in a text message.

This kind of political arrangement, however, "should not automatically mean that they will pass laws without deliberation or discussion," Go said.

"Should the House of Representatives outrightly give in to the president's without the benefit of discussion, the Senate, which has a national mandate, will always be there to temper it," he said. 

Outgoing Senate President Franklin Drilon has said they support the legislative agenda of Duterte but they will still maintain the independence of the chamber.  —NB, GMA News