The Education of Nancy Binay: Senator-Elect to Take Crash Course for New Lawmakers

In response to criticisms that she is not qualified to become a lawmaker, Senator-elect Nancy Binay said on Thursday that she will enroll in a crash course for new legislators.

Joining her in the short programme at the University of the Philippines' National College of Public Administration and Governance are senatorial candidate Bam Aquino and actor-councilor Alfred Vargas.

Although the three have some amount of exposure to public service, they said the crash course would help improve their efficiency. Mr Aquino, a close relative of Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, is on 7^th place in the senatorial race with 12.3 million votes. Mr Vargas won as councilor in Quezon City.

In the case of the 40-year-old eldest daughter of the vice president, her taking the course would help convince other Filipinos who did not vote for her that she could do the job despite her professional experience being limited to 20 years of being personal assistant to her parents during their term as mayor and VP.

UP is no strange ground for Ms Binay, who took up Economics at the state university in 1991 but shifted to Tourism and finished the course in 1997.

"I want to prepare myself and ne familiar with the rules and structure ng Senado. Pero hindi lang ako ang mag-aaral. Pati staff ko i-eenroll ko kasi hindi lang naman ako ang maglilingkod (But it is not only I who will enroll but also my staff because I am not the only one who would serve the public)," ABS-CBN quoted Ms Binay.

The one-week course will include setting up a public office, payroll, staffing, budget, lawmaking and committees. It will be held in June before Congress opens in July.

The course is popular among celebrities turned politicians like model-actress Lucy Torres and Vilma Santos as well as former mediaman Gilbert Remulla.

Ms Binay's decision to take the one-week course, however, has also been made a joke in Twitter minutes after news of her taking the crash course came out.

Jayson Soriano tweeted, "This is just depressing."

"Eh bakit ngayon ka lang mag training? Bakit kung kalian nasa senado ka na? Gaguhan lang? (Why undergo training just now when you are already in the senate?)," tweeted LB.

Green Churchill wrote, "Nancy Binay will take trash course in UP. I mean, crash course."

With the controversy she has been creating - from being absent in the debates, to winning and now not showing up at the proclamation of the top 6 senators - all eyes will be on the neophyte legislator.

This early she is being compared to Senator Lito Lapid, a former B movie actor and Pampanga governor, and Senator Tito Sotto, a comedian.

Mr Lapid has been criticised for his lack of education and being silent most of the time, while Mr Sotto has been accused of plagiarism.