What shall actors, jokers, and boxers do in the Senate?

The primordial task of senators is to make laws and not to entertain the people. We have an excess of actors, jesters, boxers, basketball players, and all those "second-rate, trying-hard copycats", to borrow Cherry Gil's famous repartee. If we need legislators, we should elect competent men and women who know the art and science of law, of lawmaking, and of the intricate protocols of the legislative processes. If so, why are actors and boxers leading the surveys?

We Filipinos do love actors, boxers, and basketball players because they entertain us, they give us excitement and help us remove the boredom, the ennui, and the inanities of colorless life. These actors give us drama, action movies, war films, and romantic episodes. They have roles to play in human society and they also create values that help in economic development, cultural enrichment, and even historical education. But do we really need them in the Senate?

Do actors have the basic education in the art and science of legislation, which is their main line of official functions? Do they understand such fundamental principles in constitutional and political law like separation of powers, checks and balances and parliamentary procedures? Do they understand how a bill becomes a law? Do they know how to make a motion or to engage in intelligent parliamentary debate? Do they master the procedures for budget-making and legislative investigation in aid of legislation?

What then shall actors do in the Senate? Should they merely rely on the advice and counsel of their hired consultants and unelected subalterns and underlings? Should they exercise their political mandate by delegating it to technocrats who were not chosen by the people? Should they blindly affix their signatures and lend their official imprimatur to the drafts of bills prepared by young lawyers engaged as their technical and legal assistants?

What shall actors do whenever an intricate question of law or a very difficult legal issue is being discussed and debated in committee hearings and in plenary deliberations? Should they risk exposing their patent ignorance of the law by opening their mouths and adding to the confusion? Or should they invoke their right to remain silent and pretend to understand and appreciate the labyrinth of multiple implications and nuances of intricate questions of law? Either way, they do not help create legislative value, and the people are wasting tax money in paying for his huge salaries, perks, and privileges.

If we look at history, what have those illustrious actors who were elected senators in the past left behind as legacies to their successors? Rogelio de la Rosa, a famous and debonair actor in the ‘50’s, was elected senator in 1957 under the banner of the Liberal Party. He ran for president in 1963 but withdrew in favor of his brother-in-law, Diosdado Macapagal, whose first wife was Rogelio's sister. De la Rosa never authored any notable law and is just remembered as a fine and handsome actor.

Eddie Ilarde ran for senator with the Liberal Party in 1971. He was one of the victims of the bombing of Plaza Miranda but won the election along with Ninoy Aquino and Serging Osmeña. Ilarde was a famous TV host of the old “Student Canteen”, and became the inspiration of Tito, Vic, and Joey, and Willy Revillame. In 1992, Because of Eddie Ilarde and Rogelio de la Rosa, we are seeing characters like Tito Sotto, Bong Revilla, Lito Lapid, and others who want to get the salary, power, and prestige as senators without doing the full and complete work of legitimate legislation.

Freddie Webb, after his basketball career in Letran, Yco, and Tanduay, became councilor of Pasay, congressman of Parañaque, and senator in 1992. We cannot remember any piece of useful legislation that he authored. He was the model of Robert Jaworski, who like his father-in-law, was elected senator. When I was DOLE undersecretary, I attended budget hearings since Don Ramon was the chair of the Labor Committee and Jaworski was the vice chairman. Don Ramon delegated all work to Jaworski. As a team player and good son-in-law, he always obliged.

Erap Estrada was elected mayor, senator, vice president, and president. Fernando Poe Jr. attempted but he was cheated. Erap used his image as Asiong Salonga of Tondo to project his pro-poor, pro-labor, pro-people character. But he was not really from the poor folks of Tondo. He belonged to the elite of San Juan. His father was a rich doctor and their family was never poor. But Erap was the most successful in "selling" himself to the electorate through the multiple media of radio, TV, and movies. But he never authored any important piece of legislation.

I don’t remember any landmark legislation authored by Bong Revilla, Lito Lapid, Jinggoy Estrada, much less Robinhood Padilla. Not even by Manny Pacquiao. Now, there is grave and imminent danger that Willy Revillame and Philip Salvador are going to join them. This is not to mention the Tulfos who are also creatures of the television and multimedia. There is a real danger that three Tulfo brothers will be sitting in the same Senate: Raffy, Erwin, and Ben.

My God. What do these characters possess that they want to do the works of such eminent legal luminaries as Claro M. Recto, Lorenzo Tañada, Raul Manglapus, Arturo Tolentino, Francisco Soc Rodrigo, Ambrosio Padilla, Jovito Salonga, Quintin Paredes. Do these actors have the smallest bit of the caliber of Jose P. Laurel, Manuel Quezon, Sergio Osmeña, and Manuel Roxas? Tito Sotto may be the grandson of Don Vicente Sotto and Don Filemon Sotto, but people only remember him because of “Eat Bulaga” and the Escalara brothers in “Iskul Bukol”.

I am truly sad and even exasperated at the quality of electoral decision-making in this country. People always complain of bad government and lousy public service, absence of pro-poor legislation and pro-people policies. And yet, they keep on electing comedians, jesters, and incompetent senators to make fundamental policies and basic laws.

I do not know about you. But as for me and for my house, we reject all actors. We shall never vote for any joker for senator. Legislation is a serious matter and I do believe that the actors are better left in the movies and TV. They have nothing good to contribute.