“Chopsuey” Senate slate

The phrase “great days of the Senate” brings nostalgia to some people.

Men and women of unassailable integrity, legal luminaries and patriots, fearless advocates, and towering figures in their respective fields once populated the Senate.

The Senate in recent decades has turned into a joke. Not every senator, of course, is a joke.

Many Senate investigations in aid of legislation have been replaced with investigations in aid of reelection or sheer political vendetta.

Some principles, if not all, are gone. Look at the chopsuey Senate slates under the different presidential candidates.

Leni’s group is noticeable, especially that she changed color from yellow to pink. She said that pink is the universal color of protest. We know that there is a deeper reason for leaving yellow.

True, it is not a surprise that politicians, driven by instinct for survival, join forces. That Jejomar Binay and Sonny Trillanes are now in one group highlights that scenario in a way that gives the word pragmatism a whole new dimension.

Both were not just ordinary foes. They were bitter foes. Together with other senators and masterminded by the Roxas camp, Trillanes helped paint the picture that Binay was the most corrupt politician to have ever walked the earth. Destroyed and unable to recover from the attack, Binay lost miserably in the 2016 presidential election.

Their being together in the same slate also produces another irony; Leni positions herself as a clean candidate, crusading against corruption. The ordinary man in the street immediately sees the contradiction by looking at the Senate slate. Leni’s narrative is affected, though depending on how one sees it.

What also does not escape the attention of many is the presence of senators Richard Gordon, Leila Delima, and Joel Villanueva, as well as other candidates who have an axe to grind against each other.

In fairness to Leni, the politics of accommodation is not exclusive to her. Pacquiao, who said he will jail all corrupt politicians, has Binay in his slate. We’ll never know that one of these days Binay may be in the slate of every presidentiable. That will complete the comedy --or tragedy!

Let me be clear: I’m not saying that Binay is corrupt. I’m saying that they who profess to be anti-corruption, like Trillanes who accused Binay of corruption, lose any shred of credibility the moment they eat their words.

There is a lesson to learn here, especially for people who witness bitter political fights at the local level; nothing is permanent in politics.

Never put great friendship below sheer political partisanship, never sacrifice blood relations on the altar of blind loyalty. Why? Political passions come and go, politicians unite and reunite at whim, for survival is the name of the game. They party all night in the name of unity for convenience.

What is seen in the aftermath? Broken friendships among supporters and neighbors that may never see a day of healing. Relatives, whether by blood or not, bring to their graves their grudges against each other, all because of politics.

Fight for what you believe in. Fight for your candidates, but know the limits.

And on the presidentiables, none of them should, of course, escape scrutiny, not just on their choices of senatorial candidates but also on the issues hurled against them. Bongbong should categorically answer the questions regarding the reign of his father. A mere “I do not know” will not suffice.

Isko must prove his readiness, a question which can hit Pacquiao very hard. Lacson, for his part, may answer on questions of human rights violations during his days as a policeman. Bato, whether he likes it or not, has an issue of seriousness, given the fact of possible substitution.