The Senate without the "tainted" senators

If push comes to shove, and the rubber should hit the road, so to say, and we find ourselves one morning in a possible scenario, when all senators with pending cases and with imminently probable cases and controversies, out of that august body, then we shall be left with 12 or more but less than 16 senators. There will still be a quorum, but there could be no impeachment conviction at all.

I think that only the following may remain standing: senators Win Gatchalian, MigzZubiri, Bam Aquino, Kiko Pangilinan, RisaHontiverosRaffyTulfo, Erwin Tulfo, Tito Sotto, Ping Lacson, JV Ejercito, LitoLapid, Imee Marcos, Pia Cayetano and perhaps, Loren Legarda.  I do not wish to comment on the cases being poised against the rest because mostly, they are of public knowledge. I would rather focus on the so-called "untainted" ones. I cannot guarantee that they are immaculate and are perfect angels. They also have some skeletons in their closets. But they are the less undesirables.

Win Gatchalian is an excellent choice to lead at a time when the image of the Senate badly needs refurbishing. A 52-year-old bachelor, who has been city mayor, congressman and senator since 2016, he is ripe for bigger responsibilities. He is hard-working, has no enemies in the senate, is acceptable to all factions, and his name has never been linked to any scandal, controversy or shenanigan. He is a consensus builder and is not "palaaway" nor "mataray." He is a graduate of Grace Christian School and Boston University in Massachusetts, USA.

MigzZubiri is an honest man. When Koko Pimentel complained of election cheating by the Senate slate of GMA, Migz immediately resigned, although it has not been alleged, much less proven that he was the one cheating in Mindanao or elsewhere. Migz is well-loved in Bukidnon and in the Mindanao and Visayan provinces, as well as in the Senate. He did well during his stint as senate president until Chizz staged a coup. Migz has a pretty wife, Audrey, who is now a representative replacing his dad in the third district of Bukidnon.

Bam Aquino is a presidential timber when the proper time comes. He won with Kiko at a time when the Duterte juggernaut catapulted Bong Go and Bato to the Philippine Senate. Bam is not a lawyer but he is a well-educated, passionate intellectual and idealist, a Summa Cum Laude and Class Valedictorian graduate of Ateneo, with a degree in Management Engineering, and completed his Public Policy and Leadership education in Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Public Administration. He has authored many pro-people laws among which is the Free College Education Law.

I do not relish calling Kiko as Mr. Sharon Cuneta because he has strong credentials independent of the megastar. He earned a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, with a general grade average of A. He was a student leader in UP and an outstanding councilor of Quezon City. He authored the Pangilinan Law which streamlined the administration of justice for juvenile offenders. His most passionate advocacy is in agriculture, his mom having risen from the agricultural land in Nueva Ecija. He will make a good vice president.

RisaHontiveros is the best performing female senator. She has accomplished a lot in her legislation and investigations. She was the one who exposed Alice Guo leading to the latter's ouster as a bogus mayor, not having a Filipino citizenship. She also exposed the alleged illegal trafficking of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy leading to his arrest, prosecution and detention without bail. She also exposed the cult in that island near Siargao which led to the filing of charges against the perpetrators of alleged forced marriages and other crimes.

The Tulfos may also have some issues but no case has been filed against any of them. Tito Sen has mellowed down and Ping Lacson has rebranded after the KuratongBaleleng fiasco. JV Ejercito has always been the good one but I was disappointed that he refused to sign theLacson minority report on the flood control expose. But he is definitely better than his elder half-brother. I cannot fathom the depth of Imee's hatred against her "beloved" brother Bongbong. Why she is siding with the family of the vice president who attacks BBM relentlessly is beyond my comprehension.

Pia is my greatest disappointment, and I believe her brother, Lino, that the country will be better off without Cayetano. Loren has metamorphosed in reverse into a caterpillar, or at most a larva far from her former form as a blooming butterfly. The Senate without these organisms will be a better habitat. And perhaps, with Win, Bam, Kiko, Migz and Risa, we shall live happily ever after.