A human rights lawyer has expressed support for Senators Kiko Pangilinan and Bam Aquino’s reported plan to join the Senate majority, saying the move can help uplift the lives of the masses.
“I join those who support pragmatic roles for the two senators, as long as they hold on to their core principles. They should join the majority bloc if that will spell their appointment as chairs of the education and food security committees,” lawyer Joel Ruiz Butuyan said in his opinion piece for the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
“These committees will be useful platforms to influence policies on two very vital issues that are urgent in their importance to the masses,” he added.
The human rights lawyer also slammed the view of opposition purists that joining the majority would mean agreeing with the position of Duterte supporters and enablers, saying the two senators can still espouse principled advocacies while being members of the majority.
“I join those who support pragmatic roles for the two senators, as long as they hold on to their core principles,” he pointed out.
Butuyan also urged the opposition to learn from electoral victories of Aquino and Pangilinan, which showed that it’s not enough for well-meaning politicians to be preachers of ideals and values.
“They must come down from their puritanical pulpits and work with leaders across the political spectrum to find pragmatic solutions to the dire and pressing needs of the multitude,” he said.
