We, the People

In this Republic we claimed ours, we demand certain unalienable rights to democracy and that is one sound judgment that we will wield come May 10, 2010 as we vote for another president, vice president, senators, congressmen, governors, mayors and others. Many have shown courage, determination, fortitude, perseverance, honesty, and truth, all exemplars of public service in the aegis of republicanism which we Filipinos have also borrowed from our colonizers, from the Spaniards down to the American occupiers. We have had the glory of this Republic when our Senate was the bastion of the brilliant men and women who crafted law to preserve the Republic and to wield the power to represent the greater number of Filipinos in chartering the course of the future of this country. Our senate then was the great stabilizing factor in Philippine democracy, so vibrant and alive. Unfortunately, the illustrious Senate we once had was never the Senate we knew now.


Soon, we are voting for senators who have proven track records of public service. There are newcomers and comebackers too. Among the stellar candidates vying for the Senate post, only so few deserves to be there. I would rather that a senator should possess the republican ideals of the Senate and embody the very dynamism of democracy to be able to serve well. We have seen the Senate, in some recent years to be the scene of investigations, politicking and tireless accusations which has benefitted so few in this Republic but also have caused disarray and threatened the very core of what democracy should be. Debates and oratorical prowess are expected of a functional Senate but we, the people demands more. More debates on critical issues that truly has an impact on the ordinary citizen and those who have less opportunity, debates on the political economy that benefits direct investments and encourage investor confidence not scare them away, debates on the environment that promotes sustainable use of natural resources not hinder development, debates on taxes that benefits government function and operations not question why we raise taxes.


We, the people of this Republic are well aware of the personality-based politics in the country. We are well aware of the great pride of every single Senator who wanted to claim the centerstage however; the Senate is a place of equal limelight. If someone steals the limelight for themselves and to advance their own vested interests, that is tantamount to grandstanding and a sham to democracy and on the principles by which the Senate stand. One of the reasons why the Senate in this country is composed of only so few men and women is because we aspire for quality and the wisdom these men and women shares to the formulation of laws is paramount. We do not go for quantity as we search for the best and the brightest among the Filipinos to help us plot the direction and maintain the compass of our journey by legislating laws that helps the government serve the people, not otherwise.



Recently, the events that unfolded in the Senate and the upcoming elections will be another litmus test for the Republic – of whether it will be further strengthened or weakened. Will it be made stronger by electing new breed of Senators or will it just be the same to elect the old vanguards. We have seen the likes of Salonga, Tolentino, Sumulong, Rasul, Saguisag, Herrera, Angara, Enrile, Osmena, Defensor-Santiago and the lists continues, for those who have served this nation well in terms of their inputs to make this Republic even stronger than it seems. We have seen the vanguards performed even beyond our expectations of a good and valiant Senator but the question has to be raised: Will the new ones perform better? Will they have the calibre of a good standing in terms of wisdom and concrete deliberations of issues at hand or will they just be like the others who grandstand at public investigations that have eaten so much of the time of the Senate than in the time spent for lawmaking.

Our Senate should embody the ideals of modern-day republicanism with the grandeur of the past. We have to see the glory of the Senate to be reclaimed by those we elect into the halls of the Senate. We, the people should muster the courage to elect the right men and women, of calibre and character, with forthright dedication to public service and unselfish conviction to help this Republic become strong. We, the people have to elect Senators who can best represent our aspiration, no matter how collective it is, to make it into fruition that one day, our Republic will be made stronger and mightier amidst the squall of uncertainty. We, the people of this Republic should decide who will best represent us in Mindanao, in the Visayas and in Luzon.