Senate Investigations in Aid of Legislation... Are They Just a Waste of People's Money?

If I remember it right, there have been hundreds of investigations already made by the Philippine Senate in aid of legislation. Most of these investigations are usually related to graft and corruption as well as other events that had invoked the emotions of the Filipino people.  The investigation is conducted by the Committee on the Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations, more know as the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee whose mandate is to investigate any alleged unlawful acts committed by the government, its public officials, and agencies, which also include the government owned and controlled corporations... in aid of legislation.

"In aid of legislation" is defined as a means of designing new laws or the amendment of any existing laws resulting from the Blue Ribbon Committee's investigation.  To put it straight, the Committee has no authority to make a judgment nor to put any body they are investigating in prison! In short, regardless of the outcome of their investigation, the person or government body under investigation cannot be incarcerated... except in cases of contempt of the Senate. So far, there is no law yet that has been appropriately designed to curb corruption after all the investigations made by the Blue Ribbon Committee.

Senate investigations have become a channel for senators to "grand stand" and often than not, these investigations looked like circuses with the senators acting like clowns. And in several cases, those subject to the investigation were harrased, humiliated, and were treated like "trash"... Why not? Since some senators also do " trash talks".

Are the senate investigations relevant and still beneficial to the Filipino people? Are the taxpayers' money spent on these investigations worth it? Or are these investigations just serve the senators who are mostly publicity- hungry?

I will leave it up to you to decide whether the Senate investigations are just a waste of people's money...

(Photo Courtesy of www.senate.gov.ph)