Senators will now start working with the members of the House of Representatives in a “professional” manner after Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and House Speaker Martin Romualdez met and shook hands during former Senate president and Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile’s 100th birthday celebration in Malacañang.

In an interview with the ANC, Zubiri said he and Romualdez agreed to end the “animosity” between the legislators and “start working professionally for the country.”

“I mean, we can disagree on many points but for the people, we were elected by our chambers as the leaders of these chambers, we owe it to the people to work together and set aside any personal differences to be able to work professionally, to pass legislations to help our country,” Zubiri said.

He admitted that legislators, both in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, will have a hard time doing their jobs “once the anger and animosity is there” especially in passing bills through bicameral conference committees.

“With bicameral reports, we have to meet with our counterparts in the House. Of course, the Commission on Appointments, we have to meet as well and many other issues like even for example, the State of the Nation Address, we still have to meet and be civil to one another,” Zubiri said.

“I talked to most of my colleagues, and my colleagues agree that we should be professional when it comes to our work, attitude, and how we want to pass legislation. Para sa kapakanan ng bayan, kailangan naming gawin to (For the welfare of our country, we need to do this),” he added.

The Senate President said he is set to meet Romualdez next week to “iron out” other issues.

Zubiri also vowed to continue discussing the Resolution of Both Houses No. 6 which seeks to remove the economic restrictions for foreign direct investments by amending three economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution. (PNA)

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