The public’s growing disappointment with the Senate, which increasingly resembles a circus, was echoed by former Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Solita Monsod, who lamented that an institution once regarded as a symbol of integrity in government has been overtaken by private interests.
“Before, senators were always thinking of the country and the people. Now, it seems that not all the senators — but a vast majority of them — are thinking only of themselves,” the respected economist said.
The guiding question, she noted, no longer appears to be, “What can I do for the people?” but rather, “What can the people do for me?”
Monsod was equally blunt about the senators’ finances. After reviewing their Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, she described the disclosures as an embarrassment.
“How can a senator declare a net worth of P70 million or P80 million when his wristwatch alone costs P8 million or P10 million?” she said.
“I’m 86,” she explained, when pressed on her candor. “I don’t want to face my God and say I was being diplomatic. I’m only saying what people are already thinking — they won’t say it themselves. I have very little to lose.”
Without saying how, Monsod urged getting rid of those senators who are truly hopeless because they think only of themselves. “And we know who they are, don’t we?”
She stressed, nonetheless, that the public, or the voters, must never again use the ballot to place incompetents in the chamber.
“I’m appealing to the Filipino people because they have been taken advantage of for so long. And these senators — they know who they are — they even tell lies, you know?” Monsod said.
Of the 24 senators, the University of the Philippines School of Economics professor emeritus could count only a handful as worthy of their lofty positions, given the corruption issues leveled against them.
“Some of them may be corrupt, but you know, you cannot eliminate corruption all the time. But at least they still have principles. Those who are corrupt and also have no principles must go,” she said.
The backdrop for Monsod’s discourse was one of the most dramatic episodes in recent political history as Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, formerly Philippine National Police chief and the implementer of the war on drugs, had been absent from the Senate since November 2025 after word spread that an International Criminal Court arrest warrant had been issued against him.
The ICC warrant, issued on 6 November 2025, was unsealed and made public on 11 May 2026, accusing him of crimes against humanity.
Dela Rosa, however, appeared at the Senate on 11 May to vote with the senators allied with Vice President Sara Duterte in a maneuver to change the chamber leadership.
On 14 May, he made a predawn escape, slipping out at around 2:30 a.m., hours after gunshots rang out inside the Senate building the night before fired by the chamber’s security personnel and National Bureau of Investigation agents.
Dela Rosa fled in an SUV driven by fellow senator Robin Padilla — his whereabouts since are unknown.
Monsod, while saying that she has a low regard for the members of the Senate, finds the 11 in the minority “are of a much better caliber than the 13 in the majority.”
“When people come to me and say, ‘Ma’am, you’re saying the right things and helping the people,’ I tell them, ‘No, I’m only expressing what you yourselves are thinking.’”
And she always receives a uniform reply, “Yes, exactly.”
