Can’t our legislators focus on the economy?

It seems our legislators are tone-deaf to what is happening to the global economy and more importantly, on how global economic events are impacting the Philippine economy. The Senate does not seem to care much if our economy is among the most affected by the prolonged US-Iran war or how our growth prospects are deteriorating with a low revenue-earning export sector, costly import dependence, higher financing costs and lack of foreign investments.

I am not even sure if they are aware of the high cost of crude oil since they don't really use their own money to pay for their transportation or travel cost, or to pay for a full Senate staff to propose bills – the majority of which are not even brought up to the plenary for consideration.

Our "esteemed" legislators rely on our taxes to pay for their legislative budget –to conduct hearings in aid of legislation, to supposedly investigate anomalies, or simply to harangue some hapless individual they have "invited" to attend their pet investigation on whatever issue they think will get them the most media attention to show that they are doing their job – just not the legislation part.

We are treated to dramatic outbursts on the Senate floor, and now even paid absence for some senators who may not be physically present, but who, if the other bloc could have their way, can participate virtually either from their hideout or in their detention cell.

Imagine that, if we could only all get paid for not showing up for a publicly funded job.

I am not even sure if our legislators know or even care about the US-Iran conflict and how it is causing a global economic upheaval. All they have been immersed in is the 2028 presidential election and who they will support. They really don't seem to care about the country's economic viability, ensuring that the people continue to be productive, gainfully employed, properly educated, properly fed and provided basic necessities.

Instead, for the past few weeks, we have been subjected to political theater, hide-and-seek, mock attacks, brazen disregard of the law, in-your-face lies, and lots of  bad overacting.

We see our senators care more about their colleagues who claim that their lives were in danger when a still unclear "exchange?" of gunfire was heard, and it turns out may have been an effective smokescreen to whisk away a long-absent colleague who had been in attendance simply to conduct a leadership coup.

All we see is our senators trying hard to secure majority control of the Senate leadership. There is no concern for the need to unite and attend first to our economic well being as a country. To address the need to ensure food production in the face of climate change that poses drought condition this year, and the lack of fertilizer resulting from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz that has not only paralyzed the transport of crude and natural gas, but also fertilizer for agricultural production and naphtha which is vital for our manufacturing  production.

The Senate, likewise, is not addressing the need to provide vital support to the transportation sector that is reeling from high crude oil prices, higher jet fuel prices, and even liquefied and natural gases. Our utility bills continue to rise as well as we all try to cope with an increasingly warming climate.

Our legislators, instead of infighting should be working to craft legislation to incentivize investment inflows to help fund vital infrastructure projects, renewable energy projects to lower the cost of our utility bills, create more employment, and provide more support services for the marginalized sector.

Our hard earned salaries are taxed and given to our legislators who even choose to boycott their own session just so that they are not voted out of their position. Why are they not concerned that because of the US-Iran war, inflation has risen and the cost of food, electricity, transportation, medical care and almost all vital goods and services have risen.

Instead, here we are, subjected to this chaotic power grab that is playing out like a long-drawn out  script and the writers still trying to write out and extend the scenario for as long as they can to distract the citizens from other more pressing economic matters.

Our legislators will continue to waste their time jumping ship as each survey reports whether the tide is turning in favor of Sara Duterte or the still unwilling, undecided Leni Robredo.

In the meantime, the Tulfo brothers are trying to rack up their own pogi points to provide a possible leadership alternative if the two ladies lose their appeal.

Unfortunately, while there are other good candidates, the majority of our people prefer to romanticize a leader that can punch out his opponents, make off-color jokes, be a "ladies" man, appear humble even as he suddenly amasses a ton of unexplained wealth.

We all tolerate corruption in some form and so the reforms are hard achieve.

Thank God that at least our neighbor Japan is taking the burden of helping us in terms of investments and financial assistance through various financial organizations such as the Asian Development Bank and private financial organizations such as MUFG Bank, Ltd. through its Philippine subsidiary, MUFG Philippines, to provide us with various financial assistance for development projects in various sectors.

In the meantime, I await the next chapter of the Senate musical chair next week and see who gets a seat and who fails to stay in the game. Enjoy the weekend.