I think that the nation can expect the best economic policymaking work from incoming Senators Pangilinan, Aquino, Lacson and Sotto.
Filipinos concerned about the development and growth prospects of the Philippine economy hoped, as they cast their votes on May 12, 2025, that the election would produce 12 new senators able to make a substantial contribution to the economic policymaking capability of the Senate of the 20th Congress.
To enable themselves to make that determination, Filipinos have been reviewing the professional records of the 12 new Senators (Christopher Go, Bam Aquino, Ronald de la Rosa, Erwin Tulfo, Francis Pangilinan, Rodante Marcoleta, Panfilo Lacson, Vicente Sotto III, Pia Cayetano, Camille Villar, Lito Lapid and Imee Marcos) in and outside the Senate. Six of the new senators belong to the Alyansa Para Sa Bagong Pilipinas, four belong to the PDP-Laban and two ran as independent candidates.
Ten of the new senators are familiar with the ways and responsibilities of the Senate. Go, De la Rosa, Cayetano, Lapid and Marcos are seating senators; Aquino, Pangilinan, Lacson and Sotto will be returning to the Senate. Marcoleta and Tulfo are not strangers to lawmaking, though not in the Senate.
On the basis of their records as lawmakers, who among the victorious 12 can the Filipino people expect to do a good job of economic policymaking in the Senate of the incoming Congress?
I think that the nation can expect the best economic policymaking work from incoming Senators Pangilinan, Aquino, Lacson and Sotto. Apart from their competence and experience, what sets these new senators apart is their demonstrated ability to be non-partisan in their approach to legislation. Political, yes, but not partisan.
During this time as its president, Sotto represented the Senate in discussions regarding the Philippine economy with the government’s economic managers. In the process, he became conversant with the policy needs of the economy and supportive of legislative proposals intended to strengthen the framework for this country’s economic development.
Pangilinan had a strong interest in agriculture, and that interest became stronger when President Benigno Aquino III appointed him as Presidential Adviser on Agriculture. The agricultural sector has been one of the weakest links in this country’s economic chain – a state of affairs best confirmed by the fact that the Philippines remains the world’s No. 1 rice importer. Policymaking for Philippine agriculture will be greatly enhanced by Panglinan’s presence in the Senate of the incoming Congress.
Aquino exhibited a strong interest in economic issues when he was a senator, and he is likely to exhibit that interest again when he takes his seat as a member of the incoming Senate. In the course of the electoral campaign. Aquino made certain economic-type promises to the voters, but it appears that he will be giving special attention to education. It will be recalled that Aquino authored the bill that became the law granting free tertiary education to qualified students.
When one hears the name Ping Lacson, one immediately thinks of his military career and of his having been chief of the Philippine National Police. Yet, there is an economic side to Lacson’s Senate record, and he authored or co-authored bills intended to enhance the policy setting for the Philippines economy’s development. Lacson was an industrious and sensible member of the Senate.
Of the incoming batch of 12 senators, these four –Sotto, Pangilinan, Lacson and Aquino – are the ones that the nation can count on to bear the brunt of good economic policymaking. They will not be found wanting.
The rest of the 12 cannot be relied upon to do the job for which the electorate voted them into office. They will be busy engaging in their highly partisan pursuits or unable to do the job of crafting the sound economic legislation that the economy badly needs.
(llagasjessa@yahoo.com)