Traitors

Not too long after the Senate coup engineered by Alan Peter Cayetano with the help of Ronald dela Rosa, several members of their bloc reportedly began considering jumping to the group now headed by Sherwin Gatchalian.

The reason for this is uncertain. Perhaps the blistering public opprobrium got on their nerves. See, they’re not so thick-skinned after all. Or perhaps someone dangled an offer they can’t refuse.

What’s deterring them, according to some reports, is the fear of being branded as traitors.

If this story is true, I don’t know what the fear is about. Most members of both chambers of Congress are notorious for tenuous loyalties. Flitting from one bloc to another is so common any flak the political butterflies reap may not last even a week, although some have gained unusual notoriety for it.

Also, can censure from like-minded colleagues be more withering than the bashing the Cayetano bloc has been getting? They are seen as obstructionists and overpaid non-performing asses. Are these descriptions from the public less hurtful than being called traitors by colleagues?

That supposed fear of being branded as a traitor is instead reinforcing suspicions that the senators are merely failing to obtain concessions that they want in exchange for switching sides. Is a mercenary image preferable to the traitor tag?

Those senators worried about turning their backs on the Cayetano bloc should instead consider the impact of the path taken by Francis Escudero and Joel Villanueva.

Despite skepticism over the motivations of the two senators, the profound consequences of their switching to the other side (or at least participation in the proceedings led by the Gatchalian bloc, in the case of Villanueva) is not lost on a public disgusted with the chaos in the Senate. Their move will be remembered with appreciation, even if grudging, and even if the public will continue to call for accountability in wrongdoing.

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Yesterday, speculation swirled that Sen. Mark Villar was also ready if not to switch sides, then to participate in today’s special session called by President Marcos.

This was after Villar and Villanueva did not sign the petition filed by the Cayetano bloc, asking the Supreme Court to nullify the June 3 proceedings at the Senate, when Escudero jumped ship, allowing the former minority to elect Gatchalian as president pro tempore and declare all positions vacant including that of the Senate president.

As of the close of office hours yesterday, the Supreme Court had not issued the status quo ante order sought by the Cayetano bloc. It’s doubtful that the SC will rush an order stopping the special session, which opens at 9 a.m. today, during which at least 13 senators are expected to elect Gatchalian as the Senate president.

In the meantime, Cayetano’s dwindling bloc lost one more voting member in an indisputable way yesterday, after the Sandiganbayan preventively suspended Sen. Jinggoy Estrada for 90 days.

Legal experts said the court order stripped him of all legislative functions, including participating and casting votes remotely in Senate deliberations.

Before the court order was issued, there had been conflicting opinions on whether his arrest and detention without bail while being tried for plunder still allowed him to perform legislative duties and participate online. But the Sandigan order officially suspended this – although the Cayetano bloc might also challenge this before the courts.

Another notable development yesterday was the absence of all senators at the supposed “Blue Ribbon hearing” on the latest episode of the 18 self-styled bagmen’s shifting narrative on alleged cash kickbacks given regularly to officials led by President Marcos, his son Sandro and cousin Martin.

The 18, whose latest change in their dagdag-bawas narrative was the addition of Chiz Escudero and elections chief George Garcia among the alleged recipients of kickbacks, have become a hot potato that their handlers at the Senate seem ready to drop.

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Will dropping the bagmen also be considered a traitorous act?

You wonder if senators take an oath of loyalty to their colleagues. As far as we know, their oath is to serve the nation, to work for the interest of their employers – we the people, we the taxpayers who want value for the fat salaries and perks we are paying lawmakers. It is outrageous to see our hard-earned taxes wasted on slackers.

It’s significant that the defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte submitted her impeachment pre-trial brief last Monday to Renato Bantug Jr., the Senate secretary picked by Gatchalian. Bantug will serve as the clerk of the impeachment court.

The only people who still consider Cayetano as the Senate president, it seems, are members of his bloc, which is fracturing as I write this.

Yesterday, Cayetano said if the Gatchalian bloc mustered 13 votes at the special session today to elect a new Senate president, then congratulations.

Beyond congratulating, Cayetano and his bloc are expected to participate and earn their keep. Even if the feuding blocs would rather strangle each other to death, it’s time for this Senate to buckle down to work.

Differences can’t be settled through one-sided perorations on Facebook Live. More than being labeled as a traitor by colleagues, senators should worry about being a traitor to the public they are sworn to serve.

They should worry about being on the wrong side of history.