Senate upgrades Public Assistance Center PAGE 3 Knowing your new senators PAGE 7 Eugenio elected Senate union president PAGE 3 Sotto maintains good performance, trust ratings in 2019 PAGE 5 I wish for each one of us a most meaningful and memorable Together with my wife, Vi, sons Ryan and Luis, we joyfully celebration of Christmas and the New Year. wish all the Senate employees a Holiday Season full of hope, love As we commemorate this most festive of Seasons, may we never and peace. forget the less fortunate amidst us. They will be heartened with any As we bask in all the revelry, let us also take time to think remembrance, be it food, medicines, clothing and the like. about all the Filipino families who were struck by tragedy and Let us go over and beyond what we normally give so that this natural calamities this year. May this season of giving bring them Christmas will be more joyful for more Filipino families. As Winston peace, comfort and courage to face the days ahead and that the Churchill said, we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by powerful message of Christmas impel us to reach out to the poor, what we give. the sick, the hungry, the oppressed, those who have suffered injustice, and to love one another as we love ourselves. So that when we return in the new year, we will come armed with fresh and new ideas by which to serve more and better our This occasion also gives me the opportunity to thank all the countrymen and women. women and men of the Senate who have sacrificed their time and effort this year to lend their expertise to our institution in crafting Also, my heartfelt felicitations to all the Senate employees for significant and meaningful legislations. It has been a productive your hard work and dedication. Your efforts and commitments are year and to that, we are forever grateful. most laudable. Merry Christmas everyone and may you all have a new year Maligayang Pasko at Manigong 2020 sa inyong lahat! full of love, peace and happiness. May God bless us all! VICENTE C. SOTTO III RALPH G. RECTO Senate President Senate President Pro-Tempore My warmest greetings to all of you this Yuletide season! May the spirit of Christmas fill your heart and home with abundant love and happiness. My warmest Christmas greetings to our dear Senate At this time of the year, it is a tradition for families and employees! friends to gather together. Truly, there is no greater gift than the I am deeply grateful for all the hard work you have done time we spend with our loved ones. in the past year in order to successfully close the 17th Congress As we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and productively begin the 18th Congress, accommodating let us remember that the true meaning of Christmas lies on how once more a brand new set of senators and all the challenges we live by His values and teachings. that come with that. Our work as legislators would not at all I pray that this holiday season bring love, peace and be possible without you. The Senate, indeed, would be nothing compassion to each and every one of us. without the work that you do. I wish for this year to end on a cheerful note and make way I wish you a Christmas of joy and togetherness, and I pray for another bright and prosperous year. that you and your loved ones are able to spend precious time together during these most blessed holidays. May the year ahead be full of contentment and the harmony of Christmas live in our hearts all year round. Again, a very merry Christmas! I look forward to another fruitful and meaningful year ahead with you all. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! JUAN MIGUEL F. ZUBIRI FRANKLIN M. DRILON Senate Majority Leader Senate Minority Leader 1 Senate Monitor | August-December 2019 Senate employees to turn back the evening is the 80’s themed costumes and performances by Senate employees. time in 80’s themed yearend party “This year, the organizers have made a special By Jardine Chua video featuring performances by employees from hink Madonna, Michael Jackson, Queen. Step back to ‘80s all offices of the Secretariat to be played during the It will be just like the colorful ‘80s all over assembly. Unlike last year’s event, this year’s video has again. According to Senate Deputy Secretary for a narrative, and each office’s performance is based T This was the promise made by Senate External Affairs and Relations Enrique Papa, Senate on a particular cultural icon from the ‘80s,” he said. Secretariat officers as workers of the institution gear employees who will join the event can look forward Papa said the contents of the whole video is a up for a night of fun and camaraderie at the 2019 to stepping back into the ‘80s, with its familiar surprise and has not been seen yet by anyone, even General Assembly after a year of grueling legislative sounds and sights. Senate officials. “The makers of the video have been work. “Everything will be in synch and connected very discreet. Nobody has viewed the whole thing Senate Secretary Myra Marie Villarica said this with the theme. When you arrive at the venue, it is yet, even I was prevented from doing so. So, all I can year’s assembly, which will be 80’s-themed, aimed as if you will revisit the past era, and have fun doing say is that it will be really exciting and it’s something to outdo last year’s assembly. She said employees so,” he said. to watch out for during the assembly.” “can expect to have a really good time.” Papa said the Senate has tapped professional As in previous years, Papa said Senate “This is again the time of the year where every assistance to ensure that Senate employees can employees who will go the extra mile in reviving the Senate employee–from the Senate Proper and the focus on having fun and that there will be no boring 80’s spirit with their costumes will be recognized Senate Secretariat–get together to celebrate the or any dull period wasted during the event. and awarded. good things we have done for the year. We want “It helps that Senate President Sotto “We will have a photo booth dedicated to everyone to have a wonderful time with each other,” himself comes from the entertainment sector those who will join the contest for best dress or Villarica said. where periods of lull moments are a no- costume. During the event, we will have roving She said that no less than Senate President no. We take our cue from him,” Papa said. judges to determine the best-dressed individuals Vicente Sotto III will lead the festivities as he had Apart from messages of support from and groups,” he said. done last year. top Senate leaders, the assembly will feature “The employees really look forward to dressing “The Senate President wants to show his performances by surprise guests, and raffles up – last year when the theme was 70’s, the winner appreciation for the employees for their hard work where lucky employees can win big prizes. was a group of employees from the Electronic Data and devotion to the institution throughout the year. Processing and Management Information System This will be his way of saying thanks and leading 80’s themed performances, costumes Bureau (EDP-MIS) who dressed up as KISS. It was everyone to a relaxing and memorable experience,” something to behold, and I hope we can top that she added. However, Papa said the highlights of this year,” Papa added. The Senate Spouses Foundation, Inc., (SSFI) led by Ms. Helen Gamboa, wife of Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III (6th from right), spends an afternoon of fun with the wards of the Reception and Study Center for Children Orphanage. “Christmas in November” is an annual gift-giving event sponsored by the SSFI in cooperation with Jollibee Food Corporation and the SM Foundation Store. Also in photo are (from left) Carina Agarao, VP for Marketing, Jollibee Foods Corporation; Tootsy E. Angara, Gladys P. Cruz, Audrey T. Zubiri, Mila G. Drilon, Tessie Sy-Coson, President, SM Foundation; Kathryna Yu-Pimentel, Gianna M. Revilla, Josephine Llorca, Susan Reyes and Luz Fernandez. Senate Monitor | August-December 2019 2 Senate Public Assistance Center gears up By JP Lopez Villar said the Senate PAC serves as a one- stop shop for the public seeking assistance from legislators and hopes that the modern facility will serve more people efficiently. In her speech, Villar said the PAC is a good way to centralize the help being asked from the senators and the Senate. She says the PAC makes it easier for those requesting for medical assistance. The PAC was established on October 12, 2001 during the administration of Drilon. The office has since been headed by Director Lino Ong. Go, in his speech, noted that the PAC has long been helping the Filipino people who need medical and financial assistance. “But we must strive to make it bigger and better in terms of funding and quality of service, so I am quite delighted that the Senate decided to adopt the concept of the Malasakit Center through a one-stop shop Malasakit Counter here inside the PAC,” he said. Go said the Malasakit Center is special to him “because we initiated it with President Senate President Vicente Sotto III with Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, and Senators Cynthia Villar and Christopher Lawrence Rodrigo Duterte when I was still the Special Go lead the opening ceremony of the newly-renovated Senate Public Assistance Center (PAC) last December 9, 2019.