Philippine Politics: Backward, Childish, Conotic

Backward. Childish. Cono-tic. Philippine politics is a highly dangerous factor that could dilute all the positive economic gains the Filipino People worked hard for.

This Enrile-Cayetano-Santiago-Honasan-Trillianes word war reflects how backward, how amateurish and how inately stupid our present "leaders" treat institutions of governance. To be fair, these kinds of exchanges had happened not just in the present Congress but more of the Congresses of the fifties and sixties. Many people blame the Executive back then for allegedly dragging the economy down during those times but if you would examine Philippine history closely, it was this group of oligarchs that constitute the House and the Senate that really made worse our condition back then.

Reading the papers during those times show more of the excessive behavior of oligarchs of old, with most of them overstepping the powers granted to them by the People and even were sources of corruption, of ineptitude and of oppression. Yes, certain laws have limited those powers once previously enjoyed and exercised to the hilt, but there is no noticeable change in the behavior and conduct of oligarchs now that merits the people's trust in their capabilities and pieces of sincerity to help change our present condition.

The "leaders" we so respect and even call Honorable and Your Excellencies are acutely similar with the oligarchs that pulled this Nation down to the morass of economic decay and social chaos back in the sixties.

The behaviors of Enrile and Cayetanos are comparable with those of the old oligarchs who overstep the bounds of decency just to prove a useless point.

Cayetano, by baring a conjecture and trying to prove as fact, the alleged special relationship of Enrile and his Chief-of-Staff, has proven himself unworthy of his post. Imagine, a Senator acting as a Boy Abunda, baring an alleged "extra-marital affair" just to show how powerful Gigi Reyes allegedly is in the Senate?

Same goes to Enrile who, in a fit of anger, waved an envelope full of "I-O-Us" just to stop a rampaging Cayetano from spilling the beans so to speak, on the alleged indiscretions of Enrile while serving as Senate President? Enrile claims to respect the deceased former Senator Cayetano, who died of sickness. Yet, his demeanor during his verbal tussle with Cayetano's son, has shown how immature still our Senate President is.

BY waving that envelope, Enrile tried to pull a fast one by doing what the old oligarchs have perfected as an art---the client-patron relationship. " You owe me something" is the most oft repeated line in every political transaction in this country, and to be fair, this exists in every "democracy" and in every "Republican" form of government. "Utang na loob" or utang sa bulsa" in Enrile and Cayetano's case, shows the worst side of transactional politics and how, eventually, it ruins relationships and institutions, such as the Senate.

This episode at the Senate should be stored in our collective memory as a prime example of how useless politics is, and how politicians are the ones really responsible for dragging this Republic down with their senseless use of our time and monies and how they populate the Public Sphere with their stupidity and backwardness.

We may have achieved economic stability. UNfortunately, our politics remain backward.

Kabayanis, we should act right now and eliminate this malady from our midst. We need a New Politics to preserve the economic gains the People have fought for and sacrificed their lives with.

Down with the present oligarchs! It is time to cut them off from the political sphere and replace with Nationalist Citizens whose missions are to change institutions and bring back the trust of the people in these institutions of governance.

Enrile-Cayetano Verbal Tussle: The Young vs The Old Guardians of a decrepit system

The Enrile-Cayetano tiff seems to be spiralling out of control, with the younger legislator attacking Enrile, some thirty years his senior, and his dad's law partner and brother in the fraternity. Enrile, according to those who covered the Senate yesterday, nearly lost his composure, and probably thought that he was crossing swords with old legal luminaries like Recto, Diokno and the like and must have realized that he is just trading barbs with the heir apparent of a deceased colleague.

And, yes, when all arguments have been exhausted, politicos normally resort to ad hominems or even to some personal attacks. In the case of Senator Cayetano's attack against Enrile, the young legislator pictured the Senate as a "pseudo conjugal" dictatorship, even dragging Enrile's Chief of Staff into the fracas. Atty. Gigi Reyes, in a strong showing of disgusts, handed over her resignation, which, of course, was not accepted by the old warrior.

What had happened to the Senate? It seems that the "old grand Senate" has now been turned into a circus. Never mind that relatives, fathers and sons, husbands and wives, turn this hallowed institution as a family fief and never mind if brothers and sisters, legitimate and illegimate sons and daughters populate the whole chamber with their petty thoughts of how to run this country, the fact of the matter is, the Senate is no more than the " higher" version of the local entertainment scene.

Some would say that the Enrile-Cayetano war is a sign of the "changing of the guards", from the old praetorian guards to the new, reform minded ones.

Look who are those people attacking the old guy---young ones who are trying to distance themselves from old politics by espousing on certain advocacies and even, triathlons and marathons. For all its worth, these new ones are positioning themselves as vanguards of the New Order, when, well in fact, they are the same as their predecessors---all Senators have lost their time to shine, except perhaps three exceptional senators: Teofisto Guingona IV, Panfilo Ping Lacson and Manny Villar.

Guingona is very active creating legislation that matters, while Ping Lacson is still the guy who advocated for change and reform a decade since while Manny Villar is still the beloved one who rose from poverty and now is swimming with the Castillians and the Chinese. Enuf said.

If someone would ask me what is that one institution that I want abolished, I will say, the Senate. The Senate is becoming a redundancy, something not too different from its sister, Congress.

In Congress, certain acts of patronage are being tolerated. How about the Senate? If we believe in Alan Peter, Tony Trillianes and Pia Cayetano, Enrile tolerated and even fostered certain acts that give Legislators some "god" powers. The masses expect these guys to practically be different but the more these guys stay in Congress, the more they stay the same.

Manny Villar should resign or retire

Which is more important to a Senator? Be the servant of the Constitution or try and save his hide and get a lid to cover his stinking deed? These things probably are in the mind of Senator Manny Villar.

Villar just got the nod of the Supreme Court to ask the Senate to defer the trial of his ethics case. His contention is mostly based on technicals and what Villar managed to do is try to stay the hand of the Senate. The Supreme Court asked the Senate to "answer" the Petition for Injunction of Villar. The SC did not issue a TRO and instead, asked the Senate to answer the petitioner. As a co-equal branch of government, the Senate may or may not follow what the SC said but out of "courtesy", they must do so.

Villar just said some days ago that the ethics trial will not muster enough votes to either expel him or reprimand him. For Villar, it's all a numbers' game. For most Senators, especially those who consider the integrity of the Senate as an institution, it's about honor and obeisance to the Constitution.

The evidence against Villar is overwhelming. Villar violated the Constitution by not divesting his interests in his companies and he also admitted gaining a fiduciary interests in some government projects---two things expressly prohibited by the framers of the Constitution due to the principle of conflict of interests.

Villar never denied that he has substantial interests in Adelfa Properties nor in Vistaland. IN truth, he's even proud of this. What he does not know is he's turning into an embarassment especially among his peers because it should have been incumbent upon him to know that his continued stake at these companies makes his position as a legislator on shaky grounds.

Right now, Villar does not have the moral high ground to even question any erring government official nor any person accused of graft or collusive practices because, he, himself, is being accused of an ethical matter. What, then, is the use of Villar as a senator? He cannot now function effectively as a Senator of the land because he, himself, is accused of a crime and moreso, his reputation has now been sullied beyond repair.

Manny Villar should vow to the will of the People. He should resign before the Senate renders judgment against him, if there is still some shame left in him.

Singit, Taga at Kapal=Villar

Senator Manny "Sipag at Tyaga" Villar told Inquirer editors yesterday that the Senate will not be able to expel him; despite overwhelming evidence of his violation of the Constitutional ban for Senators having fiduciary interests with government projects.

He said he'll continue endorsing infrastructure projects that would benefit his own companies. Ultimately, he said, his fellow senators will not be able to muster enough votes anyway to either expel him or reprimand him. So, nothing will come out of the Senate trial.

This proves, says the ebullient Senator, that the trial is just a "smear campaign", a "publicity stunt" engineered by the "presidentiables" against him. In fact, Villar even congratulated them for exposing his indiscretions in public because "the issue is helping my campaign."

Villar even said that the trial will be decided not on evidence but on numbers. For Villar, it's always political, and the fact that the minority, and that includes retiring Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and his sister, Pia, are still solidly behind him, he's confident that nothing will come out of this. Even Jinggoy Estrada who voted for the continuance of the ethics proceedings against him will not vote for his expulsion nor reprimand.

So, it's political numbers and not evidence, that will be the ultimate result of this Senate trial against Villar.

Expect this Senate trial to go the circus route since at this early, one of their members already told the public that he'll go scot-free.

This is a very dangerous precedent. Villar just proved that senators can do whatever they want, they can interfere with government projects and earn from it, and they can even do corruptive practices and again, escape from any prosecution since, in the end, it's P.R. or public relations that would decide their fate.

Now, what would happen to the 1.8 billion pesos of public money that went to Villar?