The regular elections in the Philippines are five years away, but members of the House of Representatives are all stuck on just one political agenda: Get rid of Vice President Inday Sara Z. Duterte and diminish the popularity of past president Rodrigo R.  Duterte. 

As Senator Imee Marcos aptly said, the country has more pressing problems like the soaring prices of food commodities. She pointed out that instead of addressing urgent issues, some lawmakers are enmeshed in filing resolutions urging the government to cooperate with the International Criminal Court to investigate the war on drugs and former president Duterte.    

The lawmakers, she said, are "looking for trouble" and added, "Talagang basag ulo na ito (It's really crazy)."

Senator Imee, who earlier described Duterte as being similar in many ways to her late father, Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., said that while the former had dared the ICC to "bring it on," it was only her brother, President Bongbong Marcos, who can decide whether the government will cooperate with the ICC.

Imee added that to accede to the wishes of the anti-Duterte lawmakers and the ICC is an affront and a slap on the country's judicial system.

Speaking in Tagalog, the fiery senator was quoted as saying, "Mahiya naman tayo bilang Pilipino. Ipapasa pa raw yun ICC resolution na pakikialaman tayo ng mga dayuhan samantalang ang mga korte natin napapatunayan naman na umaandar, malaya at matibay. Bakit papapasukin pa yun iba?" (We should be ashamed as Filipinos. They are drafting a resolution for the ICC to interfere in our [our judiciary] when our courts are functioning, free and strong. Why should we allow others to enter?)

What is happening in the House of Representatives is bordering on the absurd. It was absurd because it had wasted time ranting and wondering why President Marcos released P125 million in CIF funds to the office of the Vice President, and then blamed VP Sara for spending the amount to expeditiously finish projects altogether in less than 19 days. 

The VP can account for the expenditures for certain. The projects, too, are tangible. But when the elder Duterte challenged the lawmakers to account for their Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses, which had run to billions of pesos in unreceipted purchases and other expenditures, they threatened Duterte with resolutions urging President Marcos to allow the ICC to investigate the former president for the alleged creation of the fabled Davao Death Squad and the extra-judicial killings committed by the phantom force.

As if that were not enough, the House leadership and its allies in the Makabayan partylist groups spread the anecdotal rumors that there is a move to impeach VP Sara, never mind if they have yet to come up with an impeachable offense that can be attributed to her.

Amid all these imbroglios is the sudden appearance of Leila de Lima, who is out on bail. She has been all over the media platforms declaring that she will cooperate and help in the investigation of former president Duterte for what she claimed were thousands of extrajudicial killings or EJKs committed by the DDS. 

This woman who made public confessions about her frailties had been accusing Duterte of alleged involvement in EJKs, but 13 years have elapsed, and she has yet to come forward with a single piece of evidence.

What is emerging from these serpentine maneuverings in Congress is the premature polarization of politicians. The UniTeam of Marcos and Duterte on one end and the queer Alliance of Lakas-CMD of Speaker Martin Romualdez and the Makabayan bloc on the opposite end, along with the Liberal Party of Leni Robredo and 1Sambayan of Antonio Carpio. The latter alliance is shaping up regardless of political and ideological persuasions. 

A political oddity that is no longer amusing.