Tears can’t hide Senate’s hypocrisy

Senator Pia Cayetano wanted sympathy. Instead, she exposed the Senate’s growing disconnect with reality.

Her emotional claim that “no one checked on us” after the 13 May gunfire incident might have worked — had the public not already seen photos and videos of the senators sitting comfortably, eating, drinking coffee, and even posting on Facebook Live while supposedly trapped in fear inside the Senate.

Sen. Ping Lacson did not even need a lengthy statement to destroy the narrative. One sarcastic post was enough.

At the height of the controversy surrounding Sen. Bato dela Rosa’s attempted arrest and the Senate standoff, the chamber transformed into a circus of paranoia, factional accusations, and emotional grandstanding. Instead of explaining why gunfire erupted inside one of the country’s most secure institutions, some senators appeared more interested in playing victim on national television.

Pia Cayetano’s tears became the distraction.

Rather than answer questions about the senators’ bizarre behavior during the crisis, the conversation shifted toward her feelings and personal hurt. Convenient timing.

But outside the Senate bubble, the public saw powerful politicians hiding behind emotion while the institution itself continued to collapse into political theater.

And Filipinos are no longer buying the performance.      

— Jason Mago

Weaponizing a warrant

The International Criminal Court doesn’t do politics. This government does nothing but.

Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa — the fearsome PNP chief who allegedly oversaw a drug war that left thousands dead, who now looks the country in the eye and says he never ordered extrajudicial killings, that when children were shot “sh*t happens” — finally has an ICC warrant out for him.

And this government knew exactly when to use it.

Bato bolted the moment Ombudsman Boying Remulla whispered that he had seen the warrant. Months in hiding. Then he resurfaced. Alan had called him — to cast the vote that would oust Tito Sotto in what he himself called, without shame, a coup. Then he ran again.

Rodrigo Duterte’s warrant was dropped while he was mid-air from Hong Kong — far from Davao, stripped of cover, defenseless. Perfect timing. They got him.

This is the pattern. The warrant isn’t justice. It’s a weapon, loaded and holstered — until the political moment is ripe, the target is exposed, and the trigger is pulled.

The ICC pursues accountability. This government pursues convenience.

There is a difference. And it is everything.          

— Carl Magadia

Competence: 404

The system keeps exposing a simple truth: people are often placed in positions they are not suited for. Competence takes a back seat to influence, loyalty, and political convenience.

After the Senate shakeup, committee leaderships were reshuffled. Instead of aligning posts with expertise, the appointments underscored a mismatch between jobs and qualifications.

Jinggoy Estrada to National Defense and Security. Robin Padilla to Public Information and Mass Media. Mark Villar to Finance. Jinggoy Estrada again to Games and Amusement. Joel Villanueva to Higher, Technical and Vocational Education. Imee Marcos to Foreign Relations. Pia Cayetano in Blue Ribbon. This is not about personalities. It is about fit.

In fields like foreign policy and governance, domain expertise matters. I bet my professors in international relations at UP have stronger grounding than these individuals without relevant backgrounds placed in roles that should shape the national direction.

In an ideal system, committees reflect expertise. Instead, they function as rewards, protection, and power distribution.

The result is predictable: seats go to those least suited for them, while those qualified are often kept out. 

— Vivienne Angeles