Amid the rainy Monday morning, Senator Francis “Tol” Tolentino, led the flag raising ceremony, wherein hundreds of senate employees attended; this happened a week before the 18th Congress, formally opens.
In his speech, Tolentino stressed that the employees are the backbone of the Senate.
“The Senate of the Philippines is composed not only of 24 senators.”
Speaking before the various staff, the legislator showed his gratitude to the people working behind the government’s legislative branch. He said “The Senate of the Philippines is composed not only of 24 senators but also of different offices that make the legislative branch of the government effective and functional.”
The lawmaker added “The Senate is you. We owe it to you. Ang hindi nakikita ng mga media ay ang tunay na Senado yung ating mga legislative staff.”
“Show support for the Senate leadership.”
The senator also urged the employees to step up from their work behind the spotlight by showing support for the Senate leadership.
“Nakatago po kayo eh. ‘Di kayo nakikita na kayo po yung totoong Senado. Kayo yung Senadong marangal. Dapat makita ng taong bayan na merong ganitong walong daang empleyadong kawani sa ating mahal na Senado na talagang tumutulong,” he said.
During his campaign, Tolentino vowed to protect the welfare of every Filipino. Keeping true to his word, he has already filed 15 bills and three resolutions, during the first round of filing last July 2.
Among these are Agricultural Strand in Senior High School Act, Department of Emergency Management Act, National Teachers Medical Center Act, Special Emergency Powers Act and the Katutubong Tagapagtanggol Act.
Tolentino’s three resolutions are related to the smart cities, the upcoming Southeast Asian Games 2019 and the prohibition of fishering subsidiaries by the World Trade Organization.