Lawmaker hopes pope will address Congress for spiritual guidance

MANILA, Philippines - Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles expressed hope  yesterday that Pope Francis could find time to speak before Congress about moral and spiritual guidance.

In a statement, the House of Representatives committee on labor chairman said it would be a “blessing” if the pope could address the Senate and the House and inspire lawmakers to work harder to serve the nation and the people.

“With our country being a predominantly Catholic nation – and the pope being the leader of the Catholic Church – the words of Pope Francis addressing our legislators and policymakers would inspire us even more to work harder towards achieving social justice, a preferential option for the poor and to become better persons and a better society,” he said.

“These are common aspirations not just for Catholics but for all people, regardless of religion. I hope it is not too late to invite Pope Francis to Congress and I hope he can squeeze even just an hour from his very busy schedule.” 

Nograles said Francis’ visit to the Philippines would be a great blessing to all Filipinos and would inspire Filipinos to unite and work harder to free the people from material and spiritual poverty.

“I think that Pope Francis’ visit comes at a time when we certainly need spiritual renewal. Many of us are too busy with so many things that we tend to forget to thank and glorify our Creator for the gift of life that He has given us,” he said.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has announced that Francis will visit the Philippines on Jan. 15 next year.

The 77-year-old pope will come to the Philippines after a two-day trip to Sri Lanka to visit the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda and the magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Bohol and Cebu last year, according to reports.

Back to work for Senate

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV believes the Senate would now be able to focus on its work following the arrest and detention of Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla.

The involvement of Estrada, Revilla and Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile in the pork barrel scam has distracted the attention of the Senate, he added.

The Senate has spent a lot of time awaiting the fate of Enrile, Estrada and Revilla – whether they would be charged and arrested, Trillanes said.

Revilla was charged in court yesterday, while Estrada is set to be arraigned soon. Enrile is still free and awaiting the warrant for his arrest.

Trillanes said he expects the Senate to be more productive in the second regular session of Congress starting next month, compared to the first regular session, which ended during the second week of June.

“I believe that we would be able to focus on our work this time because we won’t have this thing hanging over our heads – if they have to be arrested and detained,” he  said.

“With that out of the way, I think we would be able to focus more on our work and become more effective.” 

Senate President Franklin Drilon said the Senate still managed to produce some quality legislation while conducting its own investigation into the pork barrel scam issue.

“We might be going through turbulent times right now, but I am confident that, in time, we will be able to restore the people’s respect and trust in the Senate,” he said.

The Senate faced “spirit-breaking” challenges, Drilon said.

Speaking during a weekly Senate forum, Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he expects the burden of work on the remaining senators to be a lot heavier as they have to handle the responsibilities of the three accused.

“Somebody has to take the place of the senators that are absent,” he said.

“I suppose we could take the slots. But, inevitably, instead of 24 working, now we have only 21. The load on all of us will be a little bit greater. But I am sure we will continue to function and do our jobs efficiently in a timely fashion, as they say. I don’t see that we can’t make up for their absence. I suppose holding more hearings and conducting more consultancies, we would surely feel this. But I am sure we will be able to adjust.” – Paolo Romero, Marvin Sy