The Senate, already scarred by the recent shootout involving Senate security and law enforcement, adds another incident to its list of embarrassments.
Monday’s plenary session served up yet another awkward episode in the political tug-of-war in the upper chamber. After weeks poured into political maneuverings, was it really too much to ask the Senate to get back to regular programming and take care of legislative business?!?
It appeared so — with more theatrics this time from scorned presidential sister Senator Imee Marcos, who presented a video under the cover of a privileged speech alleging a shadowy Charter change (Cha-cha) plot by the minority bloc to suspend elections, extend terms and sideline Vice President Sara Duterte.
The video, which Manang Imee claimed was backed by “documentation, footage and statements,” pointed fingers at figures including Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto III and other opposition senators.
It suggested backroom maneuvers to push term extensions until 2031, raise the presidential age limit to disqualify Duterte, and effectively rig the political landscape in favor of the current powers-that-be.
Not unexpectedly, the minority bloc erupted in righteous indignation. Senators Migz Zubiri, Raffy Tulfo and others branded it “horrible propaganda,” “fake news,” and “hao siao,” demanding that the video be stricken from the record.
Ultimately, Manang Imee withdrew the presentation amid assurances from the minority that a “no-el” scenario in 2028 was improbable. The video was stricken from the record, but the damage had been done. Once again, the Senate proved itself less a chamber of statesmen and more an arena for factional score settling and senseless politicking.
This is only the latest episode in the Senate spin-off from the overarching divisive Marcos-Duterte political zarzuela that has dominated the better part of the Marcos Jr. administration. And there are no signs of it letting up anytime soon.
Following the dramatic return of Senator Bato dela Rosa, a chaotic leadership shift, the gunshots fired in the Senate and the impeachment proceedings against VP Duterte, every move now reeks of political wrestling and grandstanding.
Imee Marcos’ intervention appeared designed to flip the narrative — painting not only the minority but also her own brother, President BongBong Marcos Jr. as the schemers and plotters of Charter Change while insulating pro-Duterte allies from accountability.
Is Manang Imee really willing to accuse her brother of wanting a term extension while in the same breath, she expects to achieve vindication for Marcos Sr. and the rest of their family after 1986?
Whether a Cha-cha is truly in the works, was simply taken out of context, or a pure fabrication is almost beside the point. The real failure lies in the Senate’s inability to rise above petty intrigues. Privilege speeches have become weapons, not tools for transparency.
As impeachment hearings loom and alliances continue to shift like sand, one hopes the upper chamber remembers its constitutional duty. Political survival cannot forever eclipse the urgent needs of a nation tired of drama and hungry for genuine reform and accountability. The people are growing weary of the same old script with no genuine reform in sight.
What is particularly galling and utterly unacceptable is how these distractions consume precious legislative time. While senators trade barbs and viral videos, ordinary Filipinos grapple with rising electricity bills under the flawed EPIRA, flood control scandals with no real accountability and the lingering economic pain from inflation and weak governance. Meanwhile, public trust in institutions continues its free fall.
