Lawyer Jojo Lacanilao, convenor of the Duterte Panagutin Campaign Network Movement, expressed hope that the new Senate majority can still regain the people’s trust, which he says has significantly eroded.
He argued that confidence in the institution is difficult to restore because of its controversial protection of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa already identified by the International Criminal Court as a criminal through a form of protective custody not provided for by law.
According to Lacanilao, this act of shielding and even elevating Dela Rosa has severely damaged the Senate’s image. As a result, the public must now closely watch whether democracy will truly be upheld and the Constitution safeguarded in the lawmakers’ next actions.
At present, the Senate majority under the leadership of Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano suffers from very low trust ratings. Lacanilao hopes the institution can recover credibility and restore public confidence moving forward.
