History
The positions of Majority and Minority leaders of the Senate of the Philippines are similarly alike to the United States Senate's party leaders.
When the Philippines was a Commonwealth of the United States during the 1930s, it followed the American style of legislature. Then, upon the adoption of the 1935 Constitution, the Philippine government eventually patterned its bicameral Congress to the United States Congress'. Thus, the majority and minority leaders of the Philippine and American Senate are almost alike.
But on June 12, 1978, when the Interim Batasang Pambansa was inaugurated as mandated by the 1973 Constitution as the country shifted from a presidential to a parliamentary form of government, it automatically abolished the two houses of Congress. The offices of the Senate majority and minority leaders were also automatically abolished.
On July 27, 1987, 5 months after the EDSA Revolution that toppled the Marcos administration, the bicameral Congress resumed its session after 15 years of its abolition. All offices and positions of the Senate were restored upon the resumption of the 8th Congress of the Philippines.
The first Majority leader of the Senate after its restoration on July 27, 1987 was Orlando S. Mercado while the first Minority leader of the Senate was Juan Ponce Enrile.
On July 26, 2004, Francis Pangilinan was re-elected by his party to serve as their Majority leader after he served a short term when then Senator Loren Legarda left the majority and allied with the opposition to run for Vice President against then Senator Noli De Castro in the 2004 national elections.
Read more about this topic: Floor Leaders Of The Senate Of The Philippines
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“History is the present. That’s why every generation writes it anew. But what most people think of as history is its end product, myth.”
—E.L. (Edgar Lawrence)
“These anyway might think it was important
That human history should not be shortened.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)
“The only thing worse than a liar is a liar that’s also a hypocrite!
There are only two great currents in the history of mankind: the baseness which makes conservatives and the envy which makes revolutionaries.”
—Edmond De Goncourt (1822–1896)