Being able to visit the House of the Senate and having the opportunity to meet some of our political leaders was a great privilege and honor for me as an ordinary citizen of our country. With a professional guide, our group had a “classical” tour through the historic part of the building which is the Senate Museum. We were able to appreciate our country’s rich legislative tradition. We have seen the hanged portraits and photographs of the Senate Presidents and the other members of the senate. Congressional records, republic acts, written laws and inaugural speeches, were placed as exhibits which show their historical significance to the senate.
We also had an opportunity to visit the live hearing of the senate Committee on Trade and Commerce joint with Committee on Environment and Natural Resources conducted by the chairperson of the said committee, Senator Manny Villar, together with Senators Pia Cayetano and Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. Committees help to organize the most important work of Congress — considering, shaping, and passing laws to govern the nation. This is where the bills and laws begin and most likely would end. The committee hearing on that day, August 8, 2011, was a public hearing regarding the proposed measures on environment-friendly bags. The stakeholders delivered their position about the said issue. They proposed a total ban on the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags throughout the country with the objective of curbing pollution and helping the nation manage its ecological resources more wisely. But personally, I do not think that this proposal would be feasible. It is no doubt that plastic bags are part of our daily life and particularly, shopping without the use of plastic bags seems to be impossible. They just replaced plastic with paper products. It still doesn't help Mother Nature. The shift from plastic to paper has it downside. Paper is a valuable limited resource and it has a large carbon footprint. The committee and the stakeholders, then came out with a solution on the use of other alternatives such as the traditional bayong, reusable bags made from corn, water lily and other indigenous resources. Honestly speaking, I wasn’t able to concentrate on the live session because I fell asleep. I don’t know why but I just felt so bored especially after seeing the “I-am-in-a-hurry-can-we-please-continue-this-tomorrow” side of Senator Villar. No offense meant but I really got bored. Then I realized, what if twenty years from now, I would be in their position, I would also be a senator like them? Will I just drop off and be in my deepest unconsciousness amid the fierce committee hearing? No, I should not! So before conjuring my illusions and dreams, we ended up waiting outside the plenary hall to attend the plenary session, which is also a part of our study visit.
A plenary session is a general conference where all members and assemblies of the senate were expected to attend for a formal gathering session. Unfortunately, we were not able to witness the inception of the discussion because we should have to wait for the other people to leave the plenary hall because of the congested crowd inside the hall. All we have conceived is the deliberation of the minority’s Contra-SONA addressed by the senate minority floor leader, Senator Allan Peter Cayetano. With the theme, “Do we know what we are going to”, the senator showed statistics showing how we lag behind our Asian neighbors in so many aspects. In his contra-SONA Senator Alan urges the President to support passage of the Freedom of Information law. Personally, I was amused by Senator Allan’s speech especially the moment when he played the music while showing the statistics. I thought he was going to sing with it. I think that is the magic of inserting humors and sarcasms in your speech, it makes your discourses informal but at the same time, it adds excitement and enthusiasm that could give interests and could please your audience. But as I observed, not all the senators present in the plenary was listening to Senator Allan. Many are busy with their other businesses. The plenary session is quite different from the committee hearing. Although the session did not cause me weariness, I was not able to finish it because the time was not enough for me.
This senate study visit had been a very exciting day me that I would not even forget. But aside from Senator Allan’s speech, the photo opportunity to take memorable and effective photographs of ourselves with Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Mirriam Defensor-Santiago and Pia Cayetano is the highlight of this event. Due to this significant advent of my life, I became more politically aware now than before. The utopian politics I thought before was now a visible institution where I want to be involved. We as an informed citizen of our country must take the step through a broader sense of political will. We must become part of the political and civil rights landscape if we are to protect and preserve our rights.
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