Analysis
A generation of Young Turks enters Senate
By Amando DoronilaThe results of the May 13 elections gave President Aquino a mandate to consolidate his control of both houses of Congress in the midterm of his office.
The results of the May 13 elections gave President Aquino a mandate to consolidate his control of both houses of Congress in the midterm of his office.
The imperious President Charles de Gaulle of France is reported to have said, “How can anyone govern a nation that has 46 different kinds of cheeses?” Of the result of Monday’s senatorial elections, it may appropriately be asked, “How can anyone rule a nation that has a Senate composed of members of 24 different parties?”
One of the less-noted developments in the recent elections is that, with much of the counting over, the country has just doubled the number of women in the Senate. As of this writing, no one among the victorious women is in danger of being dislodged from the winners’ circle, but none of those within shot of securing a place in the two remaining slots is a woman, either.
We have copied the republican system of government and lived with it for more than a hundred years, but our government has not changed our standard of living. Why? Because we are spending so much money on our politicians.
I was going to continue with my column of last week, but I will have to defer it. Several of my friends implored me to write on the elections because they were worried. In a conversation we had as to who they’d vote for for the Senate, they had great difficulty naming 12. Once they [...]
That line is from “The American President,” a political romance starring Michael Douglas which the incumbent American president recently described (for comedic effect, but not inaccurately) as “Aaron Sorkin’s liberal fantasy.”
Joining the ranks of political endorsers is Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who recently announced her support for two members of Team PNoy: Rep. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara and former Rep. Risa Hontiveros.
The report in yesterday’s (Thursady’s) Inquirer that departing senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson is endorsing “balik-Senate” Jamby Madrigal, and handing over to her the “mantle” of graft-buster in the Senate, reminded me of the lone member of Team PNoy still languishing in the outer margins of the winners’ circle.
The results of the April 13-15 Social Weather Stations survey are in, and for the first time two nonreelectionist candidates for the Senate have broken into the Top 4. The number of survey respondents who said they would vote for Nancy Binay and Cynthia Villar rose from 47 percent in March to 49 percent in April, enough for them to tie for joint 3rd-4th place.
Turns out it’s not just “Sir Chief” Richard Yap and Dingdong Dantes—both of them actors—who are supporting former senator Ramon “Jun” Magsaysay’s run for the Senate in the May 13 elections.
When I read the Inquirer’s Feb. 28 banner story on the Commission on Audit’s findings regarding the misuse of almost P200 million of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and Sen. Bong Revilla, the immediate thing that came to my mind was the 2001 impeachment trial of then President Joseph “Erap” Estrada. If one may recall, in that trial, it was revealed that Estrada and his cohorts established the Erap Muslim Youth Foundation as a vehicle where they could stash dirty money collected from jueteng lords and other illegal gambling operators for “laundering.” As we all know, this exposé, together with many others, led to the downfall of Estrada and to his conviction of plunder.
On grimy post office steps, flanked by cartons and plastic bottles, scavenger “Raul” prepared Sunday breakfast: green mangoes plus salt. “Kain tayo (Dine with me), sir,” he called when we passed to mail a letter.
