Senator
Barbers was encouraged by Ramos to run in the 1998 elections as a Senator under the Lakas NUCD Party. During the campaign, Barbers was deemed as one of the “sure win” candidates for the Senate. True enough, the Mindanao congressman ranked fifth among the elected Senators in terms of votes received, and became the first and, thus far, the only police officer who became a member of the Senate.
As chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Illegal Drugs, Barbers continued to be a staunch crusader against criminality, injustice, and illegal drugs, which he considered as the number one enemy of the people. He authored more than a hundred bills and resolutions, majority of which are aimed at improving the peace and order situation and uplifting the living conditions of the Filipinos.
In November 2000, Barbers was diagnosed with a throat problem and was later flown to the United States. He was the lone senator absent during the impeachment trial of President Joseph Estrada. When he returned to the Philippines in February 2001, the impeachent trial was over and Estrada was ousted by the second EDSA People Power Revolution.
After the 2001 elections, Barbers authored the law creating the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. He was instrumental in the crafting of other laws that increased penalties for "jueteng" protectors and operators and strengthened the anti-drugs campaign, such as including possession of 10 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride as a nonbailable offense.
Barbers was a strong advocate of the death penalty for capital offenders.
Read more about this topic: Robert Barbers
Famous quotes containing the word senator:
“Wags try to invent new stories to tell about the legislature, and end by telling the old one about the senator who explained his unaccustomed possession of a large roll of bills by saying that someone pushed it over the transom while he slept. The expression “It came over the transom,” to explain any unusual good fortune, is part of local folklore.”
—For the State of Montana, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)
“Falling in love with a United States Senator is a splendid ordeal. One is nestled snugly into the bosom of power but also placed squarely in the hazardous path of exposure.”
—Barbara Howar (b. 1934)
“He looked at Senator Hatch and said, “I’m going to make her cry. I’m going to sing ‘Dixie’ until she cries.” And I looked at him and said, “Senator Helms, your singing would make me cry if you sang ‘Rock of Ages’.””
—Carol Moseley-Braun (b. 1947)