Longing for the Senate of Yesteryears

In my more than fifty years of observing and understanding the workings of government, with all its ebbs and flows, its shortcomings and constructive policies, I have never witnessed a Senate whose reputation has fallen so deeply, nor one so fragmented and consumed by extreme partisanship, political opportunism and theatrics until today.

I am disappointed. I am saddened. I longed for the years when the Senate was the bastion of the country’s most respected, democratic, and pro-people institution.

I became to be politically conscious in the 1960s when the Senate was highly regarded as a chamber of statesmen – nationalist lawyers, intellectuals, debaters, individuals of integrity, respected for their wisdom and love for the institution and the people they served.

Of the many distinguished senators who embodied a tradition of principled statesmanship and left a lasting impression on me include Jose Diokno, Jovito Salonga, Lorenzo Tanada, Ambrosio Padilla, Eva Estrada Kalaw, Gil Puyat, Dominador Aytona, Soc Rodrigo, Gerardo Roxas, Tecla Andres Ziga, Emmanuel Pelaez, Raul Manglapus, Benigno Aquino Jr., Aquilino Pimentel, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Joker Arroyo, Raul Roco, and Rene Saguisag.

These senators were not perfect. They had political biases and disagreements, but they did not allow their differences to take precedence over the national interests, and the people respected them.

So, what happened?

If, before, the Senate was composed of legal luminaries, intellectuals, professionals with excellent records, the current Senate includes a bevy of movie actors, media personalities, siblings who belong to political dynasties, and opportunist politicians masquerading as serving the people. While there are, of course, notable exceptions from various professions who fight vigorously for necessary reforms, they must constantly contend with a dominant majority that is seldom receptive to their efforts.

Simply put, the composition of the Senate reflects a shift from principled lawmakers to extreme opportunist partisanship, from nationalist intellectuals to corrupt lawmakers.

Consider the following:

• Two senators face plunder complaint over questionable campaign donations;

  
  

• Two senators are being investigated for plunder, graft, bribery and malversation of funds involving flood control projects;

  
  

• Two senators are accused by the Security and Exchange Commission of market manipulation and insider trading;

  
  

• Two senators are allegedly involved during the President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs and one of them is now a fugitive on the run wanted by the International Criminal Court;

  
  

• One senator may face obstruction of justice charge if he is found to have helped a fugitive escape from the Senate;

  
  

• One Bible-quoting senator orchestrated a power grab in the Senate to become the Senate President and shielded a wanted senator;

  
  

• Two senators were publicly rebuked by their respective alma maters for failing to embody the values instilled during their formation;

  
  

• Seven senators belong to political dynasties;

  
  

• For the first time in its history, there was a shooting incident inside the Senate last May 13. Senate President Alan Cayetano claimed that the Senate was under attack. But Jonvic Remulla of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said that there was no actual attack on the Senate. It is alleged that the firefight was staged to create chaos and provide cover for the escape of Sen. Bato dela Rosa.

As I see it, the Senate today has been severely decimated not only by internal division due to extreme partisanship but also by the moral degradation as seen by the alleged involvement of almost half of its members to corruption. As a result, the Senate has been the target of ridicules and memes in social media. Senate deliberations have become increasingly performative rather than substantive. And several senators have lost the respect of the citizenry, as the Senate deteriorates as an institution.

While there are individual senators who continue to earn respect for their integrity, honesty, and hard work, the broader impression is that the Senate has lost its statesmanship and even its moral authority that once characterized the many senators of yesteryears.