A Valuable Institution

Last Monday, the Philippine Senate celebrated its 90th anniversary amid perennial talks from various groups calling for its abolition.

It would be a grave mistake to abolish the Senate considering its history and heroic contribution to the country for almost a century.

In the 108 years of our life as a Filipino nation, the Senate has ceased to exist for only 28 years - from 1902 to 1916 during the American colonial rule and from 1972 to 1986 during the Martial Law period. In both instances, the existence of only one chamber of Congress was used as a tool of control over the country and the populace.

Unicameralism is against our history and experience as a nation. It is a tool of colonial and political control, as we have seen in the two periods that the Senate did not exist.

The Senate, since it was organized in 1916, has been the seat of advocates of independence, as well as leaders of major movements in our political history. For instance, the independence movement which culminated in the framing of our constitution was led by Senators Quezon, Laurel and Recto. Even up to the time that the nation decided to remove the bases in 1991, it was also the Senate that took the lead.

Our country's legislative record would show that many of the landmark laws in education, health, agriculture, arts and culture originated in the Senate. The Free High School act, education voucher system (GASTPE), PhilHealth, AgriCom and EdCom are examples, all of which began in the Senate.

The Senate is a revered institution. Throughout its life, we have seen it always striving for freedom and good governance. It has worked towards uplifting the lives of common Filipinos through meaningful legislation, and should continue to do so.