Sen. Nancy S. Binay. (Joseph Vidal/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Sen. Nancy Binay on Friday said her Chinese New Year wish was for members of Congress to
According to Binay, the behavior of some legislators was shameful for both houses of Congress and should not be a standard on how they should conduct themselves.
鈥淪ad to say, the behavior of some of our colleagues in Congress has fallen too far below the standard which the public expect from members of the legislature. The bullying, the absurd spats, the unnecessary remarks have brought shame on both houses of Congress,鈥� Binay said.
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Binay made the statement following ongoing conflicts between the Senate and the House over amending the 1987 Constitution.
While some lawmakers in the House have expressed openness to the topic, in January, the Senate released a memorandum denouncing the people鈥檚 initiative to amend the Constitution.
She added that amending the Constitution is not the only solution, as other moves can be made to change the country, such as improving the battle against corruption and stopping patronage politics.
鈥淚nstead of pushing for changing the charter as if it were the only medicine to cure an ailing country, why can鈥檛 we put ourselves first in the People鈥檚 Agenda 鈥� denounce the injustices in the system, help fight corruption in all levels of government, help stop the culture of patronage politics, and as legislators, change for the better,鈥� she continued.
The senator also appealed to her colleagues to 鈥済o back to work鈥� and to earn the public鈥檚 respect back.
鈥淚 appeal to everyone to stand down and go back to work. Change should start in our institutions, and I do hope we all can get the people鈥檚 respect back,鈥� she said.