MANILA MAYOR and presidential aspirant Francisco “Isko” M. Domagoso on Tuesday said if elected, he will push for amendments in the Constitution that will make senatorial polls regional for a more inclusive Senate. 

“Now this is my proposal, one of the key proposals in amending the Constitution. I will make Senate membership (become) 34, wherein those Senate members will be elected regionally,” he said in a live-streamed interview held in Mindanao.

Under the 1987 Constitution, the Senate has 24 members. Every three years, 12 senators will replace the previous 12 senators who have served a six year-term.

Mr. Domagoso said making the senatorial elections regional would mean a more equal representation in the upper chamber of Congress.

“We will try to amend the Constitution, apart from amending its economic provisions so it can adapt to our current situation” the Aksyon Demokratiko standard-bearer said in Filipino. “So if you’re not famous, even if you are skilled, you only have a slim chance of being a senator. And it became very costly to run…what happens is, it’s just like a franchise. It is passed down to families.” 

“The good effect of this is that when the time for budget preparation, budget deliberation comes, no region will be left behind,” Mr. Domagoso said in a mix of English and Filipino.

He added that he will also push for an amendment that will make the president and vice-president a single vote.

“If a presidential candidate wins, his vice president should automatically win so that there would be no fighting,” he said. “By principle, as a general rule, there will be no possibility of power-grabbing.”  

Lacson
Presidential aspirant and Senator Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson, Sr., meanwhile, on Tuesday said he is eyeing the use of solar-powered irrigation systems to enhance the country’s agriculture sector, especially for smallholders. 

“That is a good alternative because if we really cannot afford to build dams for the irrigation of lands then this is the best substitute — solar-powered irrigation,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino in a statement, noting his support for renewable energy technologies.

Mr. Lacson cited that the government already has an existing program for solar-powered systems under the National Irrigation Administration and the Agriculture department.

He expressed confidence in delivering this commitment, if elected, as he already has potential partners in the private sector like San Miguel Corporation Chairman Ramon S. Ang who, he said, was equally enthusiastic about the technology.

“He has a slightly different vision. He said we have a lot of lakes, we have so many rivers… We can source water from there — it’s just, you know, a matter of applying the right technology — so we can use it for irrigation,” Mr. Lacson said. 

The senator is planning to “review, revisit and repeal” the Rice Tariffication Law after farmers said it made their lives more difficult. He vowed to crack down on rice cartels, which supposedly thrived under the law’s implementation.

MSME SECTOR
In another development, a business leader said both Vice-President Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo and Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. are seen as having sound programs for the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) sector. 

Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Ma. “Joey” A. Concepcion III said in a statement on Tuesday that both presidential candidates have specific plans that will benefit small enterprises in the country.

Mr. Concepcion cited the plans presented by the vice president and the late dictator’s son in previous forums organized by Go Negosyo.

“I am very hopeful that should either one become the next President of the Philippines, it will be good news for our small entrepreneurs,” Mr. Concepcion said. 

He said getting small businesses back in operation is important to the country’s economic recovery since they account for the majority of all businesses.

“Big corporations were able to weather the pandemic, but in terms of the country’s economic recovery, they cannot do it alone. We need everybody to be healthy to be able to fully recover from the pandemic,” he said. — Jaspearl Emerald G. Tan, Alyssa Nicole O. Tan, and Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

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