An enthusiastic Senate president Franklin Drilon announced on Monday the passage of six measures, four of which he considered as landmark bills-proof, he says, that legislation remains the Senate's focus despite being rocked by a pork barrel scam and the filing of charges against three members as a consequence.
Drilon said approval of the six bills proves that the Senate is still able to deliver on its commitment to pass measures meant to raise the quality of life for Filipinos. Four of the bills he considers as landmark are indeed how he describes them.
One tightens the screws on smoking even more. Another gives more teeth to anti-drugs laws. Another loosens restrictions on the entry of foreign banks. Still another strengthens protection of consumers. Clearly these are very important bills. Drilon can rightly bask in self-congratulation.
Of the two that Drilon did not describe as landmark, one declares July 27 as a non-working holiday to commemorate the founding anniversary of the Iglesia ni Cristo. No problem with that either. If the country can observe Catholic and Muslim holidays, why not indeed the INC.
The sixth bill, however, can be a little tricky. It declares August 18 as Jesse Robredo Day, a special working holiday. To recall, Robredo was mayor of Naga City, for whose stewardship he earned a Ramon Magsaysay Award. He was also secretary of Interior and Local Government. He died in a plane crash in 2012.
Robredo was a good man and an honest public servant. Of that there can be no argument. But a holiday in his honor? Surely there are a million ways of honoring the man, if that is truly the inclination of the Senate. But it can be done without compelling the rest of the nation to share and bear that inclination.
Holidays are not instant noodles that can be quickly donated when feeling generous. They are soulmates of a people whose relevance needs to last forever. There is no undoing a holiday once entered in the calendar of a nation, hence the manner of choosing one requires careful and deliberate study.
This is not meant to dishonor the memory of Robredo or belittle his achievements. It is just that a holiday seems way too overboard where a monument, a street, or a park will do. A good guess is that some people are simply embarked on a guilt trip, bothered by what they did to Robredo, whose powers at DILG they clipped.