The Senate of the Philippines, an institution that used to mean something, has recently received criticism from former Senate President Franklin Drilon for allegedly displaying a lack of decorum in its halls. This came after videos of Sen. Robinhood Padilla combing his mustache during an official session went viral on social media and Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa kneeling in front of policemen during a Senate hearing. In the Senate's defense, the observations of crumbling integrity are not new; the cracks have been appearing for years, and many others have been pointing them out. It is the current middling leadership and an outnumbered opposition that finally allowed the speeding of its breakdown.
The current Senate President, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, has achieved nothing of note in passing laws that actually impacted the Filipino people and eased their burdens amid the economic, environmental, and social crises that are plaguing the country. If he fails in the job he was elected for and even in the enforcement of basic etiquette by his fellow senators, then his use in the Senate is merely a slot taken by dirt.
During the first year of his term, only the Maharlika Wealth Fund was immediately discussed and deliberated after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made its passage urgent. This bill was hurled with criticisms of corruption, questionable motives, and anticipated failures that made its swift passage under Zubiri's leadership all the more clear. It would not be too careless to assume that the Senate, however valiantly the opposition is fighting, is at the whim of Marcos Jr.
So far, the Senate after the 2022 elections has done nothing but be reactive to the problems of the country. The standing policy seems to be the stagnation of rot instead of cleaning it out.
Specific senators contributing to the further degradation of Senate integrity and usefulness are Sen. Padilla and Sen. Dela Rosa. Both of whom curiously won the elections by singing and dancing their way to their seats, implying the strength of popularity and celebrity politics in the country.
Padilla, in response to the integrity issue, said that the senate's current style of work is not based on being "honorable-looking." Instead, they apparently are employing a look of being from the masses with their feet on the ground.
An extremely moronic statement on so many layers and levels, surprisingly expected from such an inept senator, Representatives of the masses, whenever brought into government proceedings and functions, behave more decently than some senators and government officials. No decent person would comb their mustache publicly or make inappropriate patronizing comments about women and their colleagues, as Sen. Padilla had done.
The senators cannot claim to represent the masses either when most of them come from political dynasties and have hoarded and inherited generational wealth that the masses cannot even dream of attaining. Even Sen. Padilla himself is the son of a politician and an actress.
To call their disrespectful behavior an act of representation and to put their feet on the ground while being paid by the public is manipulative and disgusting. Instead, it clearly shows the lack of respect for the Filipino people and the work and honor they granted them. This is a massive moral failing on not just the senators involved but on the institution of the Senate itself. To actively condone such a presentation, especially to the public who is paying for their salaries, is a sharp betrayal of their trust.
This tactless behavior is also present in other parts of the government, both national and local. Senior Deputy Majority Leader and 1st District Rep. Sandro Marcos and Cavite 8th District Rep. Aniela Tolentino were criticized last year for joking and laughing around while the latter was speaking in Congress. A few months ago, Quezon City District 5 Councilor Aiko Melendez shared a TikTok of her with three other councilors and an SK Federation president in the Quezon City Session Hall, a place that requires official permission to film in.
This insistent behavior of disrespect signifies not a modernized attitude in politics, as they would like to reason, but a reflection of their moral character and their values on the job they took. The only unity we have so far is in collective frustration with these incompetent public workers who swore to the heavens they would do their jobs decently, a promise that apparently is so hard to keep.
There is a popular meme in online political discussions that goes, "Elect a clown and expect a circus." It is clear that this is what has happened to the Philippine government—run by clowns and their unentertaining circus. Integrity has long lost its meaning. The few that possess it get lambasted and/or ignored. And it seems that the current formula for political power is to be as crass and immoral as possible.
If the Senate and the rest of the government want this perception of them to change, they would have to start acting properly and with respect to the institution, its history, and the people they serve. For this to happen, they need to insist on checks and balances, just as they would happily insist on inappropriate behaviors. The Senate should not be at the whim of the Executive. Streamlining hearings for laws and swift passage must only be used and approved if the law is truly urgently needed.
In addition, they must pass laws that truly matter to the public. After all, they have received criticism not solely for their behavior but for the obstruction it causes to actual public service. In the year that the current Congress has served, no significant laws have been made to lessen poverty, inflation, unemployment, or criminality rates. What made more noise were the blunders and corruption that stemmed from their offices.
Senate President Miguel Zubiri promised after this criticism that he and his colleagues would do better. But it would only work in action, not words. If they do not have the delicadeza and self-respect to resign and apologize, the least they could do is wipe off their clown make-up and act as decent public servants. The circus cannot run a country, and one year after the last elections, this has still proven true.
Article: Christian John P. Argallon
Graphics: Aira Shandy Dagohoy
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