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Angara tells congressmen to stop being 'bullies'

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SHERRIE ANN TORRES

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/20231113-senate-angara-judiciary-budget-SPRIB-2.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Sen. Sonny Angara, chairperson of the Committee on Finance, defends the 2024 budget of the Judiciary during Monday’s plenary session November 13, 2023. Senate PRIB PhotosMANILA -- For Senator Sonny Angara, the congressmen who hold daily press conferences just to &quot;attack&quot; senators on the charter change issue are &quot;bullies.&quot;</div>Angara says that because of these non-stop attacks, senators have no choice but to answer and defend the Senate as an institution“It will help going forward. Pero sana, pag nasagi kami, hindi naman pwedeng hindi kami sumagot. Self-defense lang yun, inherent right of every individual, every institution to defend themselves,” Angara pointed out during Thursday’s “Kapihan sa Senado” news forum.   “Hindi ba, pag binu-bully ka, hindi ka sasagot? Hindi naman pwede... ako ang author ng Anti-Bullying Act ha, sa House,” Angara half-jokingly said.   Asked if he thinks that the House of Representatives is bullying the Senate these days, Angara said: “Eh parang ganun na eh.”<div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/1/30/senate-launches-probe-into-people-s-initiative-for-charter-change-315">Senate launches probe into people&#x27;s initiative for charter change</a></div>“Biro mo, araw-araw. Hindi ba parang bully yun? Pumunta ka ng CR, tapos oh andun na naman yung bully... hindi ba parang inaaraw-araw kami. Parang, guys, mag-break naman, time out mag-trabaho naman tayo,” Angara said.   Unlike the people&#x27;s initiative, the Senate’s discussion about RBH6 is “more transparent,” Angara said.   “Mas transparent ang process ngayon. Napapanood ng mga kababayan natin, ano ang mga argumento? Hindi kami namimili sino lang ang pabor at sino lang ang kakampi. Tinignan namin yung mga eksperto talaga. Parang educating our countrymen. Ano ba ang Saligang Batas? Tungkol sa atin ito, para maintindihan nila. Unlike ng PI na minamadali, ginagamitan pa ng pera,” the senator pointed out.   “Ginagawa namin tamang proseso. Hindi namin itinatago sa tao, kitang-kita, klaro sa tao. Unlike sa PI patawag ng AICS payout. Pupunta lahat ng tao dyan, hindi pinaliwanag sa kanila tapos minadali pa. Just be transparent and open with the process. Hindi natin nilinlang ang publiko. Kinabukasan natin ito. Ganyan ba kababa ang tingin nyo sa Pilipino na ibibigay ang pirma sa ilang piso lang?” the senator added.<div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/2/6/house-leaders-accuse-senate-sitting-on-charter-change-1741">House leaders say Senate &#x27;sitting on&#x27; charter change</a></div>In a separate statement on Thursday, Senator Chiz Escudero questioned the authority of the congressmen to compel their Senate counterparts to declare their stance on the charter change. Escudero, in turn, dared the congressmen to speak up on their role regarding the people&#x27;s initiative.   “Why don’t they come out in the open, be accountable and admit to the public that they are truly the ones behind this pekeng People’s Initiative instead of doing a striptease?” Escudero asked.   “Noong una, sinasabi nila ‘wala kaming kinalaman dyan’ then, sumunod na sinasabi na sila ay ‘facilitator but not orchestrator…’ and now, they have the nerve to say ‘titigil namin ang PI pag pinasa nila ang RBH6,” Escudero added.   “It would bode well for them to heed their own Speaker’s words when he quoted the saying ‘People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones,’” the senator said.<div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/2/5/protesters-stage-rally-vs-charter-change-2022">Protesters stage rally vs Charter change</a></div>The senators’ reactions were in response to House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe’s call to their Senate counterparts to declare their charter change stand, which happened just days after the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes kicked-off the discussions about Resolution of Both Houses number 6.   RBH6 seeks to amend some of the restrictive economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.   FEBRUARY 12 RBH6 HEARING Angara, who chairs the Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes handling the RBH6 discussion, announced the continuation of their economic provisions discussion on Monday, February 12.   This time, the discussion will center on the specific provision on public utilities.   “Magpo-focus tayo dun sa iba’t-ibang mga kailangang amyendahan. Number 1, yung Public Utilities... ang gagawin naming sa Public Utilities, sa Public Services ng Konstitusyon, ire-reiterate na lang namin yung nakalagay dun sa Public Services Act. Kasi yun, pinasadahan na yun ng Lehislatura eh.. we will reiterate what is there, and give it flexibility,” Angara explained.

For Senator Sonny Angara, the congressmen who hold daily press conferences just to "attack" senators on the charter change issue are "bullies."

For Senator Sonny Angara, the congressmen who hold daily press conferences just to "attack" senators on the charter change issue are "bullies."