One of my favorite columnists, Alex Magno, said, and I quote: 'For the most imaginable, all eyes are on the Philippine Senate. The chamber has taken center stage in endless tragic-comedy…' The gentleman from Porac, whose lips are oftentimes sealed, in one moment declared in the chamber's session, unabashedly saying 'Mahal kita' directed to Senator Pia Cayetano. (Weren't they, in the past, the subject of a blind item?) And earlier, Senator Ronald 'Bato' De La Rosa was chased by NBI agents. Then there was a burst of gunfire and a great escape. Puro kadramahan. Ano ang nangyayari sa Senado, Diyos ko?!
Do Our Senators Still Deserve to Be Addressed 'Honorable'?
There is a perception that most members of the upper house are thieves. Don't our people miss senators like Miriam Defensor Santiago, Nene Pimentel, Blas F. Ople, Joker Arroyo, and Juan Flavier? And earlier, there were members of the upper house like Arturo Tolentino, Ambrosio Padilla, Lorenzo Tanada, Raul Manglapus, Roseller Lim, Alejandro Almendras, Benigno Aquino, Francisco Soc Rodrigo, Helena Benitez, Eva Estrada Kalaw, and more. I think you'll say, NO COMPARISON.
A Glimpse into the Roman Senate
Retro: I had the opportunity to travel to Rome some years back and was fascinated by the stories around the Roman senate, one of the most enduring political institutions in Roman history. I roamed the streets of Rome on a Roman holiday and was awed by the magnificence of the Roman Forum, which until today is still surrounded by ruins of several buildings built even before Christianity was discovered. This is where, more than five centuries ago, high-caliber senators of the Roman Republic assembled in their senate and deliberated intelligently. Mediocrity had no place there. The senate is one of the enduring political institutions that started in Rome. As I said, more than five hundred years earlier, names like Caius Bruttius, Orestes, Marcus, Cicero, and those brilliant men in white robes argued and debated passionately with the best interest of Rome at heart. No nincompoops. And there were no PDAF or pork barrel in those ancient times.
Modern Senate: A Far Cry from the Past
In modern times, the so-called SOPs, which in reality are kickbacks, draw popular figures like movie stars, athletes, TV and radio personalities to vie for a senate seat. Non-discerning voters placed them there in the upper house. If the present crop that composes the Philippine senate today were already in that era, sans for a few, the others would not qualify even to wash the feet of those men in white robes.
A Reminder for Voters
This article may be a good reminder that in any elections, voters should be careful in electing persons who are not supposed to be there and yet draw salaries, pork barrel in tens of millions of pesos, and enjoy perks and privileges underwritten by our taxes. Taxes which are supposed to build roads, ports, schools, and the much-needed infrastructures. God save our country.
