MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III is confident neophyte Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa will soon realize that “being a senator is different from being just a follower of the administration.”

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Dela Rosa earlier lamented they are now the Senate minority after the chamber on Monday night adopted a resolution urging the Supreme Court’s ruling on whether or not Senate concurrence is needed in treaty withdrawal.

READ: ‘Bato’ laments: ‘Di na kami majority, talo kami palagi’

He was among the seven senators belonging to the majority bloc who abstained from voting.

But Sotto belied Dela Rosa’s claim.

“That’s his perspective pero hindi pwedeng maging totoo ‘yun. Paano kang naging minority o feeling minority kung lahat ng mga major committees hawak mo? No such thing, ” the Senate leader told Senate reporters on Tuesday.

(That’s his perspective but it can’t be true. How can you be the minority or you feel like the minority if you have all major committees? No such thing.)

“Hindi pwedeng all the time dahil porke majority ka, o member ka ng majority, pwedeng all the time e lahat ng gusto mo at lahat ng bobotohan mo ay mananalo. Hindi ganun,” he said.

(Just because you’re the majority or you’re a member of the majority, it doesn’t mean you’ll get what you want all the time and win all the votes. It’s not like that.)

Sotto pointed out that unlike any other institutions, the Philippine Senate is open to free debate.

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“You debate on your position, kumbinsihin mo ‘yung mga kasama mo tungkol sa postion mo. Hindi pwewedeng bulung-bulongan lang tayo, pakatapos boboto tayo at ‘pag hindi nagwagi ang boboto natin ay sumasama ang loob natin,” he said.

(You debate on your position, convince your colleagues about your position. You can’t just talk about it and then feel bad when you lose the vote.)

Sotto also stood by his promise when he was first elected to lead the chamber that he would assert its independence.

“It can’t be a Senate of the administration,” the Senate leader stressed, adding the majority could not always vote against a measure simply based on their political alliance.

“’Pag ganun ang thinking, lahat ng bills na hindi member ng majority ay hindi dapat manalo? Lahat ng resolution na hindi member ng majority hindi dapat manalo? Hindi naman dapat thinking yun,’ said Sotto.

(If we think that way, would all bills of a member who does not belong to the majority not pass? Would all resolutions of a non-majority member not win? That should not be our thinking.)

“Later on, he will realize that being a senator is different from being just a follower of the administration,” he further said.

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