Despite his inexperience as a lawmaker, Senator-elect Robin Padilla voiced confidence on Tuesday that he can manage the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes.
“Mabigat ‘yon kung hindi mo alam ang gagawin mo. Ako naman, alam ko ang gagawin ko [That’s difficult if you don’t know what you’ll do. But me, I know what I’ll do],” Padilla told reporters.
“Nand’yan ‘yung mga abugado na mag-guide sa atin. ‘Di naman ako nabibigatan. Ang nabibigatan yung taumbayan kasi kailangan na nilang baguhin yung Saligang Batas natin [I will be guided by lawyers. It will not be difficult for me, it will be difficult for the public because they will amend their Constitution],” he added.
Padilla claimed that Charter revisions are the only way to achieve “real change,” noting former Presidents Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Fidel V. Ramos’ efforts to modify the Constitution.
“Hindi sila nagsusulong niyan dahil gusto nilang mapalawig, mapahaba ang kanilang termino, kung hindi na-realize nila na pagkatapos nilang gawin lahat babagsak tayo lagi sa Charter change,” he added.
Robin Padilla confident he can lead Constitutional Amendment
(They did not push for it because they wanted to stay in power. They did that because they realized Charter change is inevitable.)
Robin Padilla vowed during the campaign that the first bill he would file in the Senate would advocate for a change to a federal system of government.
Federalism was one of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign promises when he ran under the PDP-Laban banner in 2016. He did not press for it, claiming that Filipinos are not yet ready.
While Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, the likely incoming Senate president, has stated that they are interested in giving Padilla the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments, the neophyte senator has said that he has not yet addressed this with other senators.
Robin Padilla went to the Senate on Tuesday morning for a briefing on legislative processes, specifically plenary proceedings and other committee-level processes led by Deputy Secretary Edwin Bellen. Atty. Demaree Raval accompanied him.
Padilla had previously attended three days of briefings on economics, international policy, and other topics at the Development Academy of the Philippines.
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