Those readers out there who have been around for a while surely still remember Senate luminaries of yesteryear like Claro M. Recto, Jose Diokno, Jovito Salonga, Lorenzo Tañada, Raul Manglapus, Arturo Tolentino, Emmanuel Pelaez, and, of course, Benigno Aquino Jr.
These were some of our esteemed senators who personified leadership, patriotism, courage, intelligence, articulateness, dignity, honor, respectfulness, and nationalism. Personal qualities worthy of admiration, respect, and truly deserving of the nomenclature “Honorable.”
For the benefit of those too young to remember, with the help of Wikipedia, due to the limitations of space, allow me to briefly run down some of these luminaries to illustrate the luminous qualities of our senators of the past.
The brilliant Claro M. Recto, a lawyer, jurist, writer, columnist, and diplomat, was a passionate, albeit controversial, nationalist who railed against foreign dependence, particularly on the Americans, when the label wasn’t yet in vogue. Early in his career, he lobbied unsuccessfully against a watered-down version of the terms of our independence from the United States of America that he felt our country didn’t deserve. And yet, perhaps as a clear manifestation of his anti-American reputation, he decided to serve in the wartime Cabinet of President Jose P. Laurel during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, for which he was tried for treason and collaboration at the end of the war.
He was acquitted of all charges and subsequently ran for the presidency, albeit unsuccessfully, in 1957. In 1960, as Ambassador Extraordinaire and Minister Plenipotentiary, Recto died unexpectedly under mysterious circumstances during a trip to Rome. Historians believe the CIA had a hand in his death. Recto’s voice against American control of trade, the peso exchange rate, interests in public utilities, and landownership parity rights under the Bell Trade Act eventually led to the abrogation of these rights.
Then, who can forget the brilliant and courageous Jose Wright Diokno? He was a summa cum laude graduate of DLSU, a Bar topnotcher in 1945, as well as number one in the 1940 Chartered Public Accountant government examination. He was a staunch nationalist and a fierce anti-corruption advocate who went after American tobacco magnate Harry Stonehill for bribery and tax evasion amid Stonehill’s rumored cozy relationship with then-President Diosdado Macapagal who eventually deported Stonehill, which allowed him to escape the clutches of the law. Political pundits opined that the Stonehill case brought about Macapagal’s failed presidential reelection bid in 1965 against another brilliant lawyer, Senator Ferdinand Marcos.
Having been detained himself as a political prisoner during martial law, Diokno is considered the Father of Human Rights and is the founder of the Free Legal Assistance Group, which provides free legal counsel to the underprivileged and political detainees to this day, and had as members distinguished lawyers such as Senators Joker Arroyo, Lorenzo Tañada, and Rene Saguisag.
Perhaps not as nationally acclaimed but no less brilliant was anti-graft advocate and nationalist lawyer Jovito Salonga. He was a bar topnotcher in 1945, tied with Jose Diokno, who rose from poverty through his oratorical and writing skills, notably in Pilipino, to become one of the most outstanding senators of our country, topping the senatorial elections three times and he was the first Senate President in 1987 after the new Constitution was born during the Cory Aquino administration.
He was the first chair of the Presidential Commission on Good Government tasked by President Cory to go after the amassed wealth of the Marcoses and their cronies during the Marcos era. Salonga was also a political prisoner during martial law and was seriously injured in the infamous Plaza Miranda bombing in 1971.
Then, finally, perhaps the most outstanding of all was Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., who gave up his life to regain the freedom the Filipino people lost during martial law. His achievements need not be detailed here, for I don’t know of any Filipino who would not be familiar with Ninoy Aquino’s life and legacy, which continues to live on and inspire. An inspiration that we direly need now, as our country seems to have fallen back into the morass of what had plagued us in the past.
Ironically, the same issues still haunt us. Rampant graft and corruption at the highest levels of our government and political leadership, all driven by greed and craving for personal gain, continue to sacrifice the needs of our impoverished people.
Evidence number one is the current Senate imbroglio. Today, the previously hailed “august chamber” of “Honorable Senators” has turned, except for a few, into a chamber of “Dishonorable” men and women shamelessly claiming to be honorable. We have senators whose primary claim to fame are starring roles in action movies, senators and political wannabees who are scions of political dynasties, or those riding on the coattails of the previous Duterte administration.
Dark clouds are now upon us. Political instability is in the air. Inflation is galloping away along with our interest and exchange rates. Foreign investors are dropping us like a hot potato with so many neighboring countries to choose from. God only knows when we will see some glimmer of light.
When will we ever learn to vote for the right people?
Until next week… OBF!
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