Ousted

There are probably many more polite ways of putting it. The Philippine Senate, after all, is a most polite institution.

But I choose the bluntest term to describe what happened yesterday: erstwhile Senate President Koko Pimentel was ousted by his colleagues in the majority. That paves the way for Sen. Vicente Sotto to assume leadership of the chamber.

It would probably be wrong to call it a coup. The political alignments remain the same.

Until last week, Pimentel seemed to be pleading that the ouster be delayed to October, when he files his candidacy to retain his seat in the chamber. Some even quoted a grace period of up to February next year, when the campaign period begins.

But 14 senators are reported to have signed a resolution declaring the post of Senate President vacant. That sealed Pimentel’s fate.

No one seems willing to discuss the dynamics of Pimentel’s ouster. Only Sen. JV Ejercito ventured a theory on why 14 senators wanted him out. He said Pimentel was just “too kind.” They wanted someone who could better “defend” the chamber.

But “defend” the chamber against what?

Surely the chamber needed no defending from the executive branch. President Duterte has been generally oblivious to the goings-on at the Senate.

Surely the chamber needed no defending from the judicial branch. This branch has enough troubles of its own to menace the Senate.

It could only be that the Senate has to be “defended” from the House of Representatives.

We know there have been skirmishes with the co-equal chambers over the past so many months. The House on the matter of constitutional change did tend to override the Senate, putting out its own schedule on how the process will go and deciding that the senators and the congressmen vote as one collegial body.

The Senate insisted it should vote separately from the House and proceeded to hold its own hearings on charter change. Sen. Francis Pangilinan chairs this committee. Being of the LP, Pangilinan works on a most leisurely pace that could only infuriate the congressmen.

But it is not this issue, I think, that proved fatal to Koko’s presidency.

A few months ago, House leaders began unilaterally naming a ticket for next year’s senatorial elections. That ticket did not include that large bunch of sitting senators who will need to seek reelection next year.

Now that is more than just a slight. It is a gauntlet slapped across the faces of incumbent senators expecting to be endorsed by the majority coalition.

In the whole Senate, only Koko is a member of the ruling PDP-Laban. The bloc of senators needing to be reelected next year is a major component of the majority. They needed a forceful Senate leadership that will ensure the equity of their incumbency. That, sadly, was not Koko.

When we think about a more assertive Senate at this time, it is a chamber capable of fighting for the political interests of those who make a majority possible.

Carinderia

When scandal strikes an agency, all its transactions become suspect. A shadow is cast over every other contract the agency has entered into. A skeptical media steps in determined to find fault under every rug.

This seems to be the unfortunate context into which the Buhay Karinderya program has fallen.

Buhay Carinderia, it turns out, is an advocacy program started in 2011. It aspires to raise the quality of the lowly eateries by putting them under the mentorship of professional restaurant managers and chefs. Quite a number of eateries have benefited from this program.

Initially, the advocacy was called Carinderia Fiesta until it was renamed. The advocacy was conceived, is exclusively owned and enjoys IPR-protected trademark registration by Marylindbert International. From 2011-15, the advocacy partnered with more than 55 local and multinational food companies, local governments, the Department of Education and the PNP.

The highlight of this advocacy program is a regular gathering of carinderia owners, foodies, cooks, chefs, professionals, students and tourists. This program plans for regular contests for cooks to showcase their skills.

The advocacy aims to uplift the carinderias by teaching food presentation, new culinary techniques in storage and portioning, use of indigenous products, hygiene, security and financial planning.

In the present scheme of things, carinderias play an increasing role in supporting the food needs of busy families as well as catering to tourists. Malabon City, for instance, anchors its pitch for tourism on its ample food destinations.

Sec. Berna Romulo-Puyat should be familiar with advocacies like this one. As undersecretary at the Department of Agriculture, she has championed the use of local products for high-level cuisine. She has been one of the staunchest supporters of Madrid Fusion, an annual celebration that brings together Filipino and European culinary experts.

Buhay Carinderia caught the attention of former Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo and she helped to support the running advocacy on its merits. The advocacy enjoys sponsorship funds from the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB). It is not a procurement project that requires a bidding process.

From the point of view of Marylindbert International, the advocacy program receives sponsorship from the Tourism Department. This is similar to sponsorships extended to Madrid Fusion, Sunrise Ironman Triathlon, the World Street Food Congress and other special events such as golf tournaments.

The timeline for the release of sponsorship funds was unanimously approved by the TPB and sponsorship checks were released according to this timeline. With TPB sponsorship, Buhay Carinderia has gone to the barangays in Regions I and II with its grassroots campaign.