Incoming Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri will invite Senator-elect Robin Padilla to a “one-on-one meeting” later this month regarding the committees given to the former action star to lead.
Padilla, the top vote-getter in the May 9 senatorial elections, will head the Senate committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes, as well as the public information panel.
Meanwhile, senator Sherwin Gatchalian will keep his chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture in the 19th Congress and vowed to pursue reforms that will address the education crisis and improve the performance of the country’s learners.
In a statement, Gatchalian said among his priorities are the full resumption of face-to-face classes, the review of the K to 12 system, and upholding the welfare of teachers.
“As the Senate President-designate and hopefully elected Senate President, I will talk with Robin, one-on-one… and I’ll ask him, can you do this? Do you have a legal team that can help you and assist you?” Zubiri told ABS-CBN in a phone interview on Friday.
Zubiri’s decision to meet with Padilla was in reaction to concerns raised by some of his colleagues regarding the actor’s capability to effectively chair the constitutional amendments panel, which would involve highly sensitive discussions about the 1987 Constitution and various codes.
Since 1986 covering the 8th Congress until the year 2022 covering the 18th Congress, experienced lawyers who became senators have chaired the Senate constitutional amendments panel. Macon Ramos-Araneta
Meanwhile, Gatchalian also vowed to exercise the Senate’s oversight power on the implementation of landmark laws that he sponsored in the 18th Congress.
These include the Alternative Learning System Act (Republic Act No. 11510), the Excellence in Teacher Education Act (Republic Act No. 11713), and Instituting a Policy of Inclusion and Services for Learners with Disabilities in Support of Inclusive Education Act (Republic Act No. 11650).
The lawmaker also sponsored the proposed measure on the creation of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), which seeks to conduct a national assessment and evaluation of the Philippine education sector’s performance.
Gatchalian pressed the urgency of resuming face-to-face classes to address learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) estimates that two years of school closures will result in P22 trillion in productivity losses.
To uphold the welfare of teachers, Gatchalian has urged the incoming administration to ensure the full implementation of the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers (Republic Act No. 4670).
For Gatchalian, the incoming administration should prioritize raising teacher salaries and ensuring adequate health insurance for teachers.