Sickening is the word that comes to mind when watching the video played by Senator Imee Marcos during Monday’s plenary session. The video contained statements and footage that linked senators of the minority bloc to a supposed push for Charter change and term extensions for top government officials.
Senator Marcos alleged that the plot to extend terms from 2028 to 2031, suspend the national elections, and raise the presidential age requirement from 45 to 50 was all meant to prevent Vice President Sara Duterte from running for the presidency.
The minority leaders did not like that at all.
Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri scored Marcos’ “unparliamentary” tirade and called for its removal from the record.
He denied the minority’s involvement in such a plot, calling her report an attack, something their bloc would never resort to. “To gain traction, to gain views and publicity, we’ll destroy our fellow colleagues here? Walang ganyanan (Not that way),” he said.
Former Senate President Tito Sotto “took offense,” and who would not? One can just imagine the turbid air in the Senate these days. With Senator Alan Peter Cayetano leading the chamber, emotions can get riled by remarks like “the minority keeps speaking outside the session hall,” naturally eliciting a defensive response.
If 24 senators cannot speak to each other calmly enough to get their heads together for the good of the nation, what sort of progress can we ever expect for the Filipino?
Something Senator Risa Hontiveros said aptly sums up what exactly is going on with our leaders. “Ganito na ba kababa ang inaabot ng pulitika sa Pilipinas, na hanggang dito sa floor, magbabatuhan tayo ng putik (Is this how low our politics has gone, that even here on the Senate floor, we sling mud at each other)?”
What “vibrancy of democracy” was Senator Rodante Marcoleta babbling about?
The issue is not about each other’s sensitivities or being onion-skinned, but the fact that another episode of the so-called Senateflix has given us prime seats to the cutthroat style of our politicians, who appear entirely lacking in sensitivity to the plight of the people.
The bile that flows freely with every speech by some senators can no longer be sugarcoated with the usual antics. People can see through these now and they are tired of watching the circus, waiting for something to be done about the issues that have led to their daily travails.
Sen. Raffy Tulfo said it best: “Nakakahiya na po (We should be ashamed).”
