*Dr.Rodolfo John Ortiz Teope, PhD, EdD
I
remember watching one Senate session on television not too long ago. A senator,
who happened to be a lawyer, stood up and began citing a judicial rule to
support his argument. His tone was solemn, almost as if he were delivering an
oral argument before the Supreme Court. The camera panned across the faces of
other senators, and I could not help but ask myself: is this the Senate, or a
courtroom?
The
issue being debated was simple enough—what rule should apply in the absence of
a specific Senate rule? The lawyer-senator’s instinct was to resort to judicial
precedent. Yet I thought to myself: isn’t the very absence of a Senate rule an
invitation to craft one? Should not senators, empowered as representatives of
the people, decide on the floor what rule to adopt to meet the requirement of
the moment? After all, legislation is not bound by the rigid habits of
courtroom procedure. It is a living process, one that should grow from
collective deliberation rather than borrowed judicial formulas.
That
moment struck me deeply, because it revealed how often our Senate drifts away
from its true identity. The Philippine Senate has always been one of the most
powerful institutions in our democracy. It carries the burden of crafting laws
that shape the destiny of our nation. Yet, too often, when lawyers dominate its
halls, the Senate slowly transforms into a courtroom rather than a chamber of
legislation. This shift, though subtle, is where the problem begins.
Lawyers
are trained for a noble purpose: to study, interpret, and defend the law. They
are experts in mastering its language, in identifying technicalities, and in
navigating the intricate framework of our legal system. But here lies the
danger: legislation is not simply about technical perfection. It is not about
citations, pleadings, or evidence. It is about wisdom, vision, and common
sense. A law must breathe life, touch the everyday struggles of people, and
respond to the nation’s aspirations. These things no single profession, not
even the legal one, has a monopoly over.
The
Constitution, in its wisdom, never restricted the Senate to lawyers alone. That
is deliberate. The framers understood that lawmaking requires the combined
perspectives of teachers who know the heart of education, farmers who know the
language of the soil, doctors who know the cries of the sick, entrepreneurs who
know the pulse of business, and workers who know the weight of labor.
Imagine,
for a moment, what kind of Senate we would have if the chamber truly reflected
the diversity of our society. A doctor in the Senate could speak with authority
on public health systems, pandemic preparedness, and the silent struggles of
hospitals in far-flung provinces. An accountant could scrutinize budgets with
precision, guarding against hidden leakages and corruption. An engineer could
guide infrastructure laws, ensuring safety, innovation, and sustainability. A
teacher could remind the chamber of classroom realities, of students without
books and teachers without proper pay. A scientist could bring a long-term
perspective on technology, climate, and research that could lift the nation. An
agriculturist could champion food security, irrigation, and the dignity of
farmers. An environmentalist could keep the nation grounded on the urgent duty
to protect our forests, seas, and air.
When
such voices converge, the laws of a nation carry not only technical form but
also the substance that uplifts society.
When
the Senate becomes dominated by legal minds treating debates like litigation,
the chamber loses its balance. Speeches begin to sound like closing arguments,
inquiries like cross-examinations, and the nation’s problems like “cases” to be
won or lost. But the nation does not need lawyers arguing endlessly; it needs
lawmakers creating pathways for justice, opportunity, and progress.
Lawmaking
is a multi-disciplinary pursuit. It is not the privilege of one profession but
the responsibility of an entire people, represented by leaders who embody their
experiences. To reduce it into courtroom theatrics is to betray its essence.
The true measure of legislation lies not in its technical brilliance but in its
capacity to change lives for the better.
In the
end, lawmaking is about wisdom, knowledge, common sense, and logic. These
qualities cannot be confined to the legal profession alone. They are scattered
across humanity—in the stories of the poor, the insights of the old, the vision
of the young, and the sacrifices of ordinary Filipinos. Only when the Senate
embraces this broader wisdom will it fulfill its true calling as the temple of
democracy, not a courtroom of contention.
