Senateflix

Whether you’re a journalist covering the Senate, a kibitzer watching our topsy-turvy political arena or among the millions of Filipino citizens concerned about the state of our nation, you must surely have felt exhausted by the drama that unfolded in the chamber.

How could it not be tiring?

First, there was a controversial voting, a senator-in-hiding who resurfaced for that vote, a cat-and-mouse chase between him and authorities, gunshots, a lockdown, erstwhile Senate president Alan Peter Cayetano lashing out at Senate employees, his sister raising emotional decibels days after the gunfire... ah, I can go on and on.

And now it seems the mayhem is over and the dust has settled.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian says the Senateflix is over and the chamber is back to normal programming of legislative work.

Hopefully, his term will be less chaotic and controversial than Cayetano’s, which lasted only from May 11 to June 3.

And that the Senate will truly get back to work. Gatchalian said he would do in-depth research before fine-tuning provisions of pending bills.

Taking the Senate hostage

Aside from the regular legislative work, all eyes are on the looming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

The credibility of the Senate is at stake here. It must prove to its critics, especially Duterte’s allies, that it can conduct a credible and independent – to the extent possible – impeachment trial.

Of course, the Duterte bloc and its supporters have claimed that Malacañang has effectively taken the Senate hostage by dangling potential cases over senators like the sword of Damocles.

This way, they would be pressured to switch sides and abandon the pro-Duterte camp.

Oh, but that’s really not something new or outrageous in our banana republic, is it? C’mon. Who are we kidding?

If the Duterte bloc in the Senate had the upper-hand, wouldn’t they also move at the whim of the Dutertes?

I guess for the senators, it’s a matter of choosing who they want their masters to be – Marcos or Duterte.

Unfortunately for some of them, there isn’t much choice, given the possibility of cases they face. And they have seen what could really happen after Sen. Jinggoy Estrada – who holds the distinction of facing three plunder charges (jueteng, pork barrel and now flood control) – is again in detention.

This is what happens when we elect recidivists or repeat offenders into office.

While they brought these upon themselves, they have given the sitting administration reasons to hold them hostage.

The Philippines, though, does not have a monopoly on politicians accused of corruption.

Democracies around the world – from Italy to Brazil, from Israel to Pakistan – have seen leaders survive scandals, criminal investigations and eventual convictions.

But in the Philippines, we seem not to learn the lesson. We keep on voting the same politicians into power.

The real question is no longer whether corrupt politicians exist, but whether voters ultimately hold them accountable.

Lessons

So what I’d really like to see is for this recent Senateflix or Senategate to finally provide critical lessons to Filipino voters.

Do we really want to keep voting the same actors-turned-politicians, ex-convicts or trapos with corruption scandals to their names?

Do we really want, for example, someone like Robin Padilla – more known for his performative swagger and action-star “Bad Boy” persona than for serious legislative work – sitting in the Senate?

In two years, we will again be voting into power 12 senators, as some of the incumbent would be ending their terms in 2028.

Against this backdrop, the 2028 election will be especially significant – politically and economically.

Why so? This is because, aside from the presidential election, the 2028 polls will determine who succeeds the entire 2022 batch of elected senators.

From a political standpoint, the 2028 election will determine who succeeds half of the current crop. It also means the next president could significantly influence the Senate’s composition through coattail effects.

It will spell the difference between a chamber that can focus on the legislative work our economy needs and one that could again be consumed by dirty politics.

So my hope is to see voters put into power leaders who have the best interests of the country and the Filipino in mind. I’m sure there are still many individuals out there who can do good for our nation of 110 million.

We have seen the impact of voting trapos from political dynasties. When push comes to shove, they end up protecting the interests of their families and their class.

We must vote for those who show sincerity and not political ambition, those who think of the country and not the next election, those who have the guts to hold power to account and not those who want to join the ranks of the powerful.

The past two years have shown the height of corruption hounding our country.

The two highest officials of the land are not spared – BBM for the flood-control mess and VP Sara for alleged misuse of public funds.

But accountability must not end with the impeachment trial. More importantly, the Senate must ensure a credible process, not one designed merely to block Sara from the 2028 presidential race.

In parallel, the perpetrators of the flood control scandal must also be brought to justice – all the way to the masterminds.

Otherwise, we will remain trapped in a real-life TV drama with all its elements – horror, comedy, violence and everything in between.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow her on X @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.