5 senators, 47 lawmakers graduating from 15th Congress

MANILA, Philippines - When the 15th Congress adjourned for an extended break last Wednesday, five senators were headed for retirement as they finished their two terms in office.

Senators Francis Pangilinan, Joker Arroyo, Edgardo Angara, Panfilo Lacson and Manny Villar are on their last terms.

Meanwhile, at least 47 members are exiting from the House of Representatives but not from the political scene.

Congress is taking a break for the campaign period from Feb. 9 to June 4.

Sessions will resume only for two days on June 6 to 7, before going into sine die adjournment until July 21.

Pangilinan said he is waiting for any appointment from President Aquino. “In the meantime, I will spend time with my wife and family. I will be part of ‘tigas’ – tiga-saing, tiga-sundo,” he said in jest.

A member of the Liberal Party, Pangilinan has been rumored to be eyeing the agriculture portfolio. As a senator, he initiated the passage of the Juvenile Justice Law, which seeks rehabilitation for youth law offenders.

Lacson, meanwhile, said he would go on retirement, and refused to confirm whether he would be joining the Aquino Cabinet or would take any other position in government.

He has helped in the passage of the comprehensive law on firearms and ammunition, and a primary mover of the Whistle-blowers Act that gives more protection to witnesses who expose crime and corruption.

Time to stop

Arroyo also said he would retire when his term ends on June 30.

“One should know when to stop,” said the veteran lawmaker and human rights activist during the martial law years.

Recently, Arroyo had been vocal in his objection to the amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering Act, which focuses on the expansion of predicate crimes.

As freedom fighter, Arroyo had his share of physical and mental torture for joining protest rallies during the Marcos regime.

He was a three-term congressman for the first district of Makati before he entered the Senate in 2001.

During the 15th Congress, he opted to remain with the minority, refusing to get any committee chairmanship.

Nacionalista Party chairman Villar said he is also retiring from politics, and would devote his full time to their family corporation, Vista Land and Lifescapes Inc.

He said he would play a supporting role to his wife, Cynthia, if she gets elected as senator in May.

On the other hand, Angara, who has backed out from his gubernatorial bid in his home province of Aurora, said he would be busy with his commitments abroad; his newly formed think tank Angara Centre on Law and Economics; as chairman of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC); and president of the Southeast Asian Parliamentarians Against Corruption (SEAPAC).

Aside from being known as the father of the Cyber Crime Law, Angara was also a prime mover of key legislation focusing on education.

Graduating House members

Many of the 47 graduating members of the House of Representatives are eyeing either higher or lower elective posts. Some 38 of them are completing three successive terms or a total of nine years and are not returning - at least not immediately - because the Constitution prohibits them from doing so.

The Charter limits House members to three consecutive terms and senators to two consecutive terms of six years each.

Nine other members are also not returning to the House since they are seeking Senate seats or local government posts.

Leading the batch of three-term “graduating” lawmakers are senatorial aspirants Juan Edgardo Angara of Aurora, Mitos Magsaysay of Zambales and Teddy Casiño of Bayan Muna.

Angara, son of Senator Angara, is part of the administration Team PNoy ticket.

Magsaysay is running under the banner of the “opposition” United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), while Casiño is a candidate of Makabayan coalition.

Another third-term member, Florencio Noel of the party-list An Waray, is running for mayor of Tacloban City. Political observers in Leyte are giving Noel a great chance of winning.

Two other congressmen have launched a senatorial run under UNA. They are Joseph Victor Ejercito-Estrada of San Juan and Juan Ponce Enrile Jr. of Cagayan.

But unlike Magsaysay, Ejercito-Estrada and Ponce Enrile Jr. are just on their first term of office and could return to the House if they wish to, though Enrile Jr. had been a congressman before his return in 2010.

Seven other members are not going back to the House because they are seeking local posts.

Ireneo Maliksi of Cavite, Edgar San Luis of Laguna, Irvin Alcala of Quezon, and Josefina Joson of Nueva Ecija are running for governor of their respective provinces.

Rodolfo Albano, who is on his first term, is running for mayor of his hometown Cabagan in Isabela. His son, and incumbent Vice Gov. Rodito Albano, who was congressman for two terms, is returning to the House.

Rex Gatchalian wants to succeed his brother Sherwin as mayor of Valenzuela City, while Jose Aquino II is eyeing the mayoralty in Butuan City. Sherwin in turn is running to succeed Rex as congressman.

Both Rex Gatchalian and Aquino are on their second term as House members and are still eligible for a third term.

The other congressmen finishing their third and last term include Ferjenel Biron of Iloilo, Luis Villafuerte and Arnulfo Fuentebella of Camarines Sur, Justin Marc Chipeco of Laguna, Florencio Miraflores of Aklan, and Jesus Crispin Remulla of Cavite.

Biron, Villafuerte and Miraflores are seeking gubernatorial posts in their respective provinces. Teodorico Haresco Jr., incumbent representative of the party-list Ang Kasangga, is gunning for the seat to be vacated by Miraflores.

Chipeco and Remulla are running for mayor of Calamba City and Tagaytay City, respectively.

Villafuerte was a former governor. His opponent in May is his grandson Miguel Luis, son of incumbent Gov. Luis Ray Villafuerte.

The Villafuerte patriarch and his son are not on speaking terms and criticized each other publicly in a recent Senate hearing.

The outgoing Camarines Sur governor is seeking the congressional seat in the second district occupied by Diosdado Arroyo, younger son of former President and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who is seeking re-election.

Arroyo’s elder son, Juan Miguel, is among the three-term graduating House members.

The others are Giorgidi Aggabao of Isabela, Antonio Alvarez of Palawan, Rodolfo Antonino of Nueva Ecija, Anna York Bondoc of Pampanga, Narciso Bravo Jr. of Masbate, Vincent Crisologo of Quezon City, Albert Garcia of Bataan, Roilo Golez of Parañaque, Edcel Lagman of Albay, Oscar Malapitan of Caloocan, Hermilando Mandanas of Batangas, Pedro Pancho of Bulacan, Amelita Villarosa of Mindoro Occidental, Rodolfo Valencia of Mindoro Oriental, and Danilo Suarez and Erin Tañada of Quezon.

In Visayas and Mindanao, those who are completing their last term are Simeon Datumanong of Maguindanao, Roger Mercado of Leyte, Alfredo Marañon III of Negros Occidental, Cesar Jalosjos of Zamboanga del Norte, Nur Jaafar of Tawi-Tawi, Eduardo Gullas and Ramon Durano VI of Cebu, Janette Garin of Iloilo, and Erico Fabian of Zamboanga City. – With Jess Diaz