Drilon lauds minority's accomplishments, outgoing colleagues

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Wednesday lauded the accomplishments of the minority bloc in the Senate, such as the passage of the Free Education Act and the Magna Carta of the Poor, and feted his outgoing colleagues in the 17th Congress.

Drilon said being a member of the opposition never prevented the minority bloc from passing laws even though they often received attacks from supporters of the Duterte administration.

“What the minority has accomplished is a testament to our desire to serve and prove our worth to the people. At the same time, I would like to think that it is also a manifestation of a healthy working environment in the Senate, which we hope to see in the next Congress,” Drilon said in a statement.

“The 17th Congress has not been easy for the opposition. It is hard to be in the opposing side these days,” he added.

“Despite all these, we soldiered on and remained focused on one goal: to get things done for the people.”

Among the laws authored by the minority bloc include the Philippine Identification System Act of Drilon, the Mental Health Act of Sen. Risa Hontiveros, and the Sagip Saka Act of Sen. Francis Pangilinan.

Drilon also mentioned the Free Tuition Act of defeated reelectionist Sen. Bam Aquino, the Magna Carta of the Poor of outgoing Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, and the institutionalization of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program led by detained Sen. Leila de Lima.

De Lima, who faces illegal drug charges, was detained during the 17th Congress, but Drilon said this did not prevent her from performing her duties as a senator.

“We are proud of what we have done. We can look people in the eye, critics or otherwise, because we know that we did not fail them,” Drilon said.

“It proves that the opposition has not been a hindrance in the passage of meaningful legislation and policy formulation,” he added.

Drilon lauded Trillanes and Aquino, whom he called as the most productive members of the minority.

“We thank them for their immense contribution to lawmaking and, as part of the minority bloc, for being true fiscalizers and vanguards of democracy,” he said. —Joseph Tristan Roxas/KBK, GMA News