Among the branches of government, the legislature performs three important and inter-related functions. The first is to serve as a venue to deliberate on important policy issues. The second is to articulate or represent the varied views of society on these issues. Finally, the legislature plays a responsive role by passing the required statutes so that the policy issues are addressed.

Our Congress is divided into two chambers – the House of Representatives and the Senate. Unlike the Lower House, the Senate represents a national constituency, ideally disabused from the parochial concerns that district representatives have to attend to. Today, on its 93rd anniversary, the Senate reflects back on its history, its most recent performance, and its options to pave a smoother road to economic progress and consolidated democracy.

The Senate traces its roots to the Philippine Legislature, composed of the Philippine Senate and the House of Representatives, that was created under the Philippine Autonomy Act, popularly known as the Jones Law, which was passed by the Congress of the United States and became law on August 29, 1916. It served as the legislative body of the Philippines from 1916, to 1935, when it was succeeded by the National Assembly upon the inauguration on November 15, 1935, of the Commonwealth provided in the Constitution of the Philippines. With recognition of Philippine independence by the United States in 1946, the legislature became the Philippine Congress which shared governmental powers with the executive and the judiciary. While Martial Law abolished the Philippine Congress in favor of the Batasang Pambansa in 1972, but the old bicameral structure was re-created by the 1987 Constitution, with a Senate of 24 members elected at large, who serve a term of six years.

Today, the Senate of the 14th Congress has 36 permanent committees and five oversight committees. They fuel the wheels of the legislative mill, producing proposed bills that address many important concerns, from election modernization to economic reforms and ecological or environmental preservation. The Senate has maintained its independence, performing creditably its oversight functions and inquiring, when necessary, on the implementation of statutes that were passed to resolve many of our people’s concerns.

We congratulate the Senate of the Republic of the Philippines headed by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri, and Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel Jr., the other Senators and Personnel, on the occasion of its 93rd Anniversary. We wish them success in all their endeavors.