As potential members of the Senate majority, Senators Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan are eager to get to work and fulfill their campaign promises to the Filipino people.
According to a Facebook post by writer, creative director, and solid Kakampink Gerry Cacanindin, Bam and Kiko have a better chance of pushing for their legislative agenda than their election vows if they bag the Education and Agriculture Committees, respectively, in the 20th Congress.
“Ang majority bloc ang binibigyan ng first dibs sa mahahalagang chairmanships. Halimbawa, kung chairman ng Education Committee si Bam, may malaki siyang impluwensiya sa edukasyon. Kung si Kiko ay maging Agriculture Committee Chairman, ganun din. Powerful ang committee chairmanships lalo sa pagpasa o pagpatay ng bills,” he said, describing the two Senators as “gigil at gutom maglingkod.”
“Priority sa Legislative Agenda. Ang bills at resolutions na sponsored ng majority bloc senators ay mas may priority sa debate, mas may chance maipasa, mas may suporta ng Senate President o liderato ng Senado. Imagine mga agenda ni Bam or Kiko facing little or no resistance,” he added.
Bam and Kiko recently filed their respective pet bills for the 20th Congress. Bam initially filed 10 education-related measures and he followed it with another set of proposals dubbed “10 Panukalang Batas para sa Abot-Kayang Pamumuhay.”
Kiko’s legislative priorities focus on his advocacy for agriculture and his proposal to provide free breakfast for public school students from kindergarten to Grade 12
Cacanindin added that as committee chairpersons, Bam and Kiko would also wield significant power in conducting investigations and upholding government checks and balances.
“Majority bloc senators lalo na ang mga committee chairs ay pwedeng mag-initiate ng inquiries, investigations, at hearings lalo na kung tungkol sa mga priority issues. Imagine Bam and Kiko leading investigations na may katuturan at patutunguhan,” he explained.
Cacanindin also called on fellow Kakampinks to trust whatever decision Kiko and Bam may reach, believing that they will do what is right for the Filipino people whom they vowed to serve.
Facebook page Juan Luna Blog echoed Cacanindin’s pronouncement, saying being a part of the majority provides Bam and Kiko the tools to accomplish something for the Filipino people.
“You get to chair committees. You get to push your bills to the front of the line. You get to hold hearings and investigations that actually lead somewhere. You’re not just sitting around giving privileged speeches that go nowhere. If Bam ends up chairing Education and Kiko takes Agriculture, that’s massive. That’s direct impact,” it explained.
The blog added that the people who voted for Bam and Kiko expect them to get things done and fulfill their campaign promises and not sit in the minority and be “symbolic” opposition.
“People voted for them to get sh_t done—to fix education, help farmers, and push real reforms. You don’t do that stuck on the sidelines. You do that by having actual power inside the system,” it stressed.
Kaya Natin Movement lead convenor Harvey Keh, for his part, declared that Bam and Kiko have a huge opportunity to fulfill their campaign promises by joining the Senate majority.
“Many people voted them because they campaigned on a clear platform and now that they have been elected, syempre kailangan nila tuparin ang kanilang mga pangako sa taumbayan. Uunahin pa ba ang pulitika bago ang serbisyo sa taumbayan?” Keh said in a Facebook post.
“Ang layo pa ng 2028, mas mahalaga na magtrabaho muna nang mabuti at tuparin nila ang kanilang mga pinangako nung nakaraang eleksyon. Let’s remember, Bam and Kiko are not just Senators of the Kakampinks or the Dilawans. Senador na sila ngayon ng bawat Pilipino,” he insisted.
Lawyer Dino Singson de Leon, spokesperson for Mamamayang Liberal Partylist Rep. Leila de Lima, vouched for Bam and Kiko, saying they have always been independent-minded even when they were in the majority.
“If there’s anything we know about Bam and Kiko, whether they are in the minority or majority, they will do what is right, ALWAYS,” de Leon emphasized.
“Let’s support these leaders who have good track record, not put them down as early as now for decisions that are justifiable and reasonable (as it allows them to chair both agriculture and education and such puts them in a better position to legislate the bills and reforms they want),” he added.
