Shameless

At a glittering reception filled with diplomats on Tuesday, the buzz was as hot as the scorching summer evening and the question repeatedly asked by foreign dignitaries was: “What’s happening to your country?”

They were, of course, referring to Monday’s turmoil at the Senate, a historic chamber once occupied by statesmen.

One must be truly callous not to feel even a tinge of embarrassment at such questions from diplomats who could no longer hide their disbelief behind diplomacy.

But it is what it is. Our current crop of senators has dragged us down into the gutter. What a shame.

On Monday, in a sudden leadership shakeup, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano emerged as the new Senate President, unseating Tito Sotto III, while Sen. Loren Legarda was sworn in as the new Senate president pro tempore, replacing Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

It was a coup planned days ago, with the overhaul initiated at the floor by the Bible-quoting Sen. Joel Villanueva, who moved to vacate the Senate leadership positions. President Marcos’ manang Imee then nominated Cayetano for the top post.

The scales tipped when senators jumped ship to form the new majority. There was Legarda, whose sudden but not surprising switch has brought back her moniker as a political prostitute. And then there are the embattled Villars, who have moved from Duterte to Marcos-Duterte and back to Duterte as they currently face insider trading and market manipulation complaints filed by the SEC.

Sen. Pia Cayetano, not surprisingly, supported her brother.

As a side note, those who say the University of the Philippines produces only communists and activists are clearly mistaken. Just look at the Cayetanos and Legarda. They represent exactly the kind of politicians the Left has long rallied against.

Monday’s coup was meant to protect Vice President Sara Duterte, who now holds the record of being impeached twice.

And yet, in our banana republic of a Senate, it may be safe to say the impeachment trial is over, even if it hasn’t even started.

The camp of Sotto and Lacson heard about the rumblings since Friday. But they probably did not expect that Sen. Bato dela Rosa would risk his arrest just to protect the VP.

The pro-Duterte camp’s pitch, according to sources, included blocking the Senate to convene as an impeachment court.

Lame duck

Obviously, the Marcos camp was played and played well. This, ultimately, is what happens when a President has lost all political capital. In short, he has become a lame duck.

And judging by the way things unfolded at the Senate, there’s no telling for sure whether Marcos Jr. would be able to finish his term. Like father, like son? Will history repeat itself?

Sh*t happens

The biggest loser, however, next to the Filipino people, is Sen. Bato himself, who was probably tricked into resurfacing, only to find himself boxed in at the Senate because of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.

That video of Bato – known for his fiery rhetoric and bravado – frantically running and stumbling at the Senate fire exit staircase turned the chamber into a hilarious cartoon series.

Now, as I write this, Bato is holed up there, evading arrest. He has forgotten that while the 1987 Constitution protects lawmakers from arrest while Congress is in session, such privilege is limited only to offenses punishable by not more than six years imprisonment.

This was the reason why there have been arrests at the Senate in the past – those of the late Juan Ponce Enrile, Antonio Trillanes IV and Leila de Lima.

In 2019, when a four-year-old daughter of a drug war victim was killed in a police raid, Bato, then PNP chief, said, “Well, sh*t happens.”

He should tell this to himself now.

Monday’s coup is a shameless and absurd betrayal of the people, and I’m not even referring to VP Sara’s impeachment.

It’s really how, in the end, dirty politics has taken center stage at the expense of public service.

Take this, for instance, as shared by Chef Waya Araos-Wijanco on social media on Monday:

“We were supposed to be at the Senate today, accompanying our partner farmers as they prepared to speak before the Senate committee on agriculture. They were invited to share the realities they face, especially now, with fuel prices crushing already fragile livelihoods.

“All week they worked on their statement. Farmers from across communities sent stories and concerns: rising fertilizer costs, poor roads, lack of cold storage, predatory trader pricing, imported vegetables undercutting local produce, climate change, El Niño, transport costs eating into already razor-thin margins.

“The representatives rearranged their schedules during planting and harvest season. They found people to tend fields in their absence. Mothers arranged childcare. They bought bus tickets and traveled for hours to Manila because they believed that maybe, finally, government would listen.

“What happened at the Senate feels like a new low.

“Our farmers came prepared with lived experience, practical solutions and dignity. The Senate responded with cancellation notices and political theater.

“The senators have shown us clearly who they represent: themselves, their dynasties, their ambitions, their interests.

“Not the people who plant food nor the people who wake before dawn to harvest vegetables that feed our cities.”

So, so true. Such a shame, really.

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