Blame the voters, not the senators

“I don't think that, you know, adherence to ignorance is really something that encourages voters to support you.”

—Elizabeth May

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IT’S about time we stopped blaming the bungling Filipino senators for the monumental mess they’ve created these past weeks.

In the first place, they did not place themselves in that August Hall all by themselves; it’s the voters who gave them the mandate to occupy their offices during the national elections.

Thus, the voters deserve the kind of senators they elected.

Sometimes it’s not right for the voters to ridicule “misfit” Robin Padilla and “palaging galit sa mundo” Rodante Marcoleta for being “annoying” and “eye sores” in the session hall.

It’s ironic that the voters who are quick to disown and disparage them were the ones who put these political villains there.

They were given the chance to choose the “right” candidates, but they opted to cast their votes for these ruffians over the other “more qualified” candidates.

The more the voters rebuke the lousy officials they’ve elected, the more they sound banal and hypocrites.

 

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The beauty of the Philippine constitution is that all Filipinos are given equal chances to serve in the Lower and Upper Houses (Congress) and even run for president and vice president if they posses baseline qualifications under the 1987 Philippine Constitution.

The Philippine charter says all candidates must be natural-born citizens of the Philippines, registered voters, able to read and write, and residents of the Philippines for a specific minimum period.

Specific qualifications and term limits vary depending on the exact position sought.

Even ordinary people who can read and right and in the right age stipulated in the constitution can file a certificate of candidacy during the elections. It’s another story though whether the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will declare them as nuisance candidates.

Those who oppose the charter change cite this “democratic” and “fair” provision where the opportunity to be elected to higher offices can’t be limited only to the educated and rich.

They also pointed out that systemic problems—like poverty, corruption, and inequality—are due to the underfunding and non-implementation of existing laws. They suggest that charter change is merely a diversion from enforcing already guaranteed social justice programs.

 

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TIGHT SECURITY. New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden (MSG) has announced that it’s ramping up security, enforcing what it called

“TSA-style screening procedures,” plus a strict no-bag policy, ahead of President Donald Trump’s attendance for Game 3 of the NBA Finals on June 8.

In a joint post on social media under the Knicks logo, MSG and the U.S. Secret Service advised there will be “no storage available for prohibited items” and said fans should make every effort to “limit personal items to an absolute minimum.”

To allow extra time for screening and entry, the post strongly encourages fans to arrive at the Garden at least two hours before the game’s 8:30 p.m. tip-off.

The President, who is a Knicks fan, has said he was invited to attend a Knicks playoff game by team owner James Dolan, who has donated to Mr. Trump’s political campaigns.

Mayor Zoran Mamdani will also be taking in Monday’s game at MSG, but wouldn’t say if he’ll be meeting Mr. Trump during his visit to New York City.

“I will be in a very different section of the stadium,” Mamdani said on June 5, “and I think we look forward to welcoming any New Yorker who is excited for the Knicks to have that chance to win that championship.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

We aren’t gullible

“Just being a commentator is not as easy as people think with going out there and talking for three hours. So, I don't call myself a commentator: I call myself an analyst.”

—Booker T

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IF we are not careful, our minds will be poisoned by some self-proclaimed political commentators who have branched out in the social media, particularly in the political vlogs or video blogs, and swamped us with biased, misleading, and pathogenic commentaries and information.

It’s not bad to listen to them and watch their programs from time to time, but we must endeavor to also fact-check their statements and conduct our own independent research and critical analysis as much as possible.

To avoid being hoodwinked and misdirected, we must sharpen our minds and refrain from relying heavily on the words given by these voodoo political brainiacs hook, line, and sinker.

Many if not most of them are paid hacks, motivated by political vendetta and bigotry, false prophets masquerading as “political analysts,” or dark room operators tasked to sabotage the career and future candidacy of certain political personalities.

Some of them aren’t credible and are dangerous and toxic. As bogus media personalities, they are capable and will always underestimate and insult our intelligence.

Self-education and awareness must start with us. Let’s prove to ourselves we are not what they think: uto-uto or gullible.

 

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Pardon me but I didn’t know Lito Lapid is still serving in the Philippine Senate until today. If it was not reported that he recently told Senator Pia Cayetano “I love you” in jest, I wouldn’t know he’s still senator.

Despite his being reticent, this action star-turned-politician is really buenas in politics.

His being a “giant killer” began in 1992 when he became vice governor of Pampanga by ousting the incumbent Cielo Macapagal-Salgado. Lapid became full-fledged governor in 1995 when he trounced the incumbent Bren Guiao.

Like his fellow senators today who are facing cases for plunder and malversation of public funds, Lapid had his own share of shame in 2004 when he was charged by the Ombudsman in the fertilizer fund scam.

He was reelected in 2010. Lapid staged a comeback in 2019 and again in 2025. And that’s the reason why he is still senator until today.

 

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THE refusal of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to grace the Big Apple’s annual Israel Day parade on May 31 was really a big deal.

Why? Because Mamdani’s refusal to participate marked the first time a mayor had boycotted the parade since it was first held in 1965.

New York’s Democratic party leadership alongside tens of thousands of Jews and allies from the city and the surrounding region joined the parade, which maintained its festive atmosphere and went off without a hitch.

Despite the boycott from the mayor and security fears that had prompted heavy precautions from police, the annual parade, officially called Israel Day on Fifth, saw Jewish and pro-Israel groups march up Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue.

The event kicked off in Midtown Manhattan with New York leaders led by Governor Kathy Hochul, Sen. Chuck Schumer, other members of Congress, Attorney General Letitia James, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, City Council Speaker Julie Menin and City Comptroller Mark Levine all addressed the crowd, alongside Jewish communal leaders.

 

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The Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, a communal group that organizes the parade, estimated that more than 50,000 participants marched, alongside thousands of spectators, in one of the event’s highest turnouts ever.

“Proud Americans, Proud Zionists” was the parade’s theme this year.

UJA-Federation of New York, a leading Jewish group in the city and one of the event’s sponsors headed by Eric Goldstein, acknowledged political complications surrounding the parade in recent years.

“This parade used to be a simpler time where we would march apolitically to acknowledge and celebrate the extraordinary achievements of this tiny, young nation,” Goldstein said. “We are increasingly isolated and targeted for being Jews. That said, today and every day, we must be proud, we must be public, we must come together.”

Mamdani’s absence, however, did not impact the event as marchers with the EndJewHatred activist group mocked the mayor by carrying life-size cardboard cutouts of Mamdani and his wife, both harsh critics of Israel, showing the pair posing with Israeli flags.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

Ilonggo leaders who should be in senate

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”

—Lao Tzu

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE need Ilonggos in the Philippine Senate to replace former Senate President Franklin “Frank” Drilon who has retired from public service.

Based on their recent national exposure, the frontrunners should be Iloilo 3rd district Rep. Lorenz “Nonoy” Defensor, Iloilo first district Rep. Janette Loreto-Garin, DILG Undersecretary Jed Patrick Mabilog, and Iloilo 4th district Rep. Ferjenel “Ferj” Biron.

The three solons actively participated when the House of Representatives Committee on Justice tackled and approved the committee report and resolution setting forth the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio a month ago.

There is no doubt they were able to give the voters from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao who watched the dramatic event a glimpse of how good they are and what they can do for the country once they are elected in the Upper Chamber.

Defensor has the edge because he is expected to make heads turn as one of the House prosecutors in the vice president’s impeachment trial in July, which will be watched by millions of Filipinos in the Philippines and abroad.

Mabilog, on the other hand, will have more opportunity to buoy up his name in the national level now that he is in the helm of the country’s premier department, which is in charge of the 228,000-strong PNP and the local chief executives from Aparri to Jolo.

 

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The senate today has become lackluster and cheap because of the absence of quality Ilonggo senators like the late Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Drilon, the magnificent World War II resistance leader Tomas Confesor, Jose Hontiveros, Jose Zulueta, to name only a fews.

They were some of the most prominent senators in Philippine history produced by Iloilo and were known for their significant contributions to national governance, jurisprudence, and lawmaking.

Defensor-Santiago, the best president the Philippines never had, was hailed as the "Iron Lady of Asia" and a globally recognized legal luminary, trial judge, and multi-term senator known for her fiery speeches and prolific bill-filing.

She “ate death threats” for breakfast.

Drilon, who is still very much active in today’s political discussions, is considered as an influential statesman who served multiple terms as Senate President.

He could have been a presidential timber before he announced his retirement from politics but opted to stay away from political intramural to pave the way for younger candidates for the country's highest elective office.

 

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Drilon is best remembered as one of the most active and prominent secretaries of the late former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino after the EDSA Revolution.

He is credited for sponsoring key economic and revenue laws and championing urban development projects in his hometown. He also served under the administrations of former Presidents Fidel V. Ramos and Joseph “Erap” Estrada.

Confesor was best known as the "Lion of the Visayas" and served as a senator after the war. He was known for his fierce loyalty to the republic and anti-corruption stance.

Hontiveros was a jurist and delegate to the 1934 Constitutional Convention who served as a Senator of the Insular Government and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

Zulueta was an Ilonggo statesman who served in the Senate and held the position of Senate President during the 2nd Congress.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

In shambles and disarray

“A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.”

—John Burroughs

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

THE Marcos Jr. administration is in total disarray.

Many of its officials have been tempted and tainted by graft and corruption, including former House speaker and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, the first cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The law enforcement has become a sitcom in the Sesame Street. If they can’t hunt down a coward and overweight ex-cop in the homeland, they can never net the fugitives cloaking in Paris and Vienna.

Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio has been impeached twice by the House of Representatives, and her trial is now scheduled in the Senate.

The Senate is in shambles. Both members in the majority and minority blocs behave like gangsters and characters in a mafia film. Many senators are facing arrest and jail terms for plunder and malversation of public funds.

Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, who talks and acts like host of a late-night gossip talk show, is a sitting duck. No one respects him in the media.

 If you are part of the Marcos Jr. administration and you are not embarrassed, your face must be made of adobe.

 

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We first heard the words “tyranny of the majority” when we covered the Iloilo capitol beat in 1989.

That was the time when some members of the provincial board “made life difficult” for then Governor Simplicio “Sim” Griño by flexing their muscles, so to speak, to derail some of the programs of the executive branch.

We also witnessed how dreaded was the “tyranny of the majority" in the city government when some members of the city council choked the administrations of then Mayor Rodolfo “Roding” Ganzon and Mayor Mansueto “Mansing” Malabor.

Tyranny of the majority surfaced once again when members of the Philippine senate minority bloc walked out from the regular session May 26 to protest a contentious proposal by Senator Rodante Marcoleta to amend chamber rules, allowing senators to attend sessions and cast votes remotely.

The minority accused the majority of "railroading" the institutional shift without proper debate, a tactic they claimed was designed specifically to accommodate absent or detained allies.

 

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This time, the target of the tyranny of the majority was its own members, not the executive branch like in the cases we enumerated in the Iloilo capitol and city hall episodes.

Tyranny is an overbearing use of power as it affects other people. Those under tyranny are not in control of their immediate future and lack protections to ensure their safety. Tyranny may be exerted physically, psychologically, or both.

Tyranny of the majority occurs when the majority attempts to use their numbers to exclude the rights of the minority and suppress dissenters. The minority has little or no recourse.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

We need results

“Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.”

—Arnold H. Glasow

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

OUR friendly advice to officials in charge of law enforcement under the Marcos Jr. administration is to refrain from constantly calling for press conferences and stay away from media limelight, if possible, if there is nothing positive or concrete matter to report to public.

A dozen regular press conferences can’t compensate for failure to arrest or bring to justice a growing number of fugitives like Gerald Bantag, Atong Ang, Harry Roque, Zaldy Co, Raddulan Sahiron, and now Bato Dela Rosa.

If they are effective and doing their job well, there is no need for these law enforcers to advertise their plans on how to arrest the prominent fugitives; there’s no need for empty press conferences.

The question remains to be when, not how. Results not bragging and swaggering.

Instead of showing off and competing for the headlines, officials of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Justice (DoJ), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine National Police (PNP) should buckle down to work and prove to all and sundry they deserve to remain in their positions.

 

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WHY single out Bato?

The Mayors for Good Governance (M4GG) has criticized the continued absence of ICC-fugitive senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and for receiving his salary worth P2.1 million (or P300,000 a month) in seven months of absence.

In a statement signed by members on May 25, 2026, M4GG, a national movement of over 200 reform-minded local chief executives committed to integrity, transparency, and people-first governance, called Dela Rosa’s act as “a great insult to millions of Filipinos who work hard and endure to support themselves and their families.”

We agree with the M4GG that Bato should not have been given salary while he was away and hiding from the law in the past seven months.

We also agree it was unfair and somehow anomalous for him to pocket the gargantuan amount, including his staff, when he did not report for work and was avoiding the law enforcers ready to get him by virtue of the warrant of arrest issued by the ICC for crimes against humanity.

 

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But why did the M4GG single out in one statement the fugitive senator when there are other mayors, governors, congresspeople, among other elected officials in the country, who did worse?

Was it because Bato’s case became the talk of the town when he recently surfaced to cast a vote for Alan Peter Cayetano to become senate president only to be allowed to escape after an ICC warrant of arrest was issued against him?  

If Bato’s case did not become earthshaking these past weeks and he did not appear to be a villain for escaping, would the M4GG issue such hard-hitting statement?

How about a statement of condemnation against senators, congresspeople, and cabinet officials who stole billions of pesos from kickbacks and other diabolical means via flood control and other infrastructure projects?   

According to its website, M4GG was founded on August 24, 2023 and “serves as an independent platform for mayors to collaborate, share best practices, and collectively stand against corruption while strengthening local autonomy and public trust.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)