I got my first job after college as a researcher for Sen. Ernesto “Boy” Herrera. I earned around P3,000 a month, which, believe it or not, was a hefty sum during those days. But more than the salary, it was my good fortune to have a front-row seat to history. Back then, reporters took copious notes and enterprise stories were the name of the game. Senators weighed every word and came prepared for their privileged speeches and floor interpellations. We all learned a lot and came out of the old majestic Senate building in Manila with a remarkable sense of fulfillment.
I wish the same for the employees of this new Senate. Public service can be an art form, if not in the sweeping rhetoric of the eloquent, at least in the physicality of senators stooping down to render life-changing services to the down and out. For example, I look forward to how as an incoming senator, the President’s closest aide, Sen. Bong Go, would transform his “Malasakit Centers” into viable and sustainable institutions. I am also interested to see Sen. Bato dela Rosa extend his basic goodness to the people around him by transforming his Senate office into a hub to help victims of grave injustice.
Sen. Cynthia Villar, an icon in orange, has earned widespread popularity and trust because of her no-nonsense approach to legislation and its oversight function. In public hearings, the lady senator can easily stare down a bureaucrat who replies in half-truths and white lies, much to the delight of her farming constituency. In the recent elections, knowing that she is very, very rich matters much less before everyone’s eyes because we all know her to be also very, very smart—as most self-made successful entrepreneurs are. Her integrity and candor are much appreciated by both the media and the masa. Like her husband, Senate President Manny Villar, she shuns pomposity of any kind and prefers to open the doors to more livelihood opportunities for the poor rather than spend time with the pampered elite.
A new modern Senate fits the current batch of senators because most of them are truly social media-savvy. Sen. Nancy Binay had recently published her own book about social media etiquette. Sen. Ping Lacson tweets several times a day with wit and humor. I love following Sen. Win Gatchalian on Twitter because his dedication to work shows in his tweets about legislation and public policy.
Of course, one can always converse with Sen. Koko Pimentel on Facebook. Koko has become such a romantic, and kudos to his wonderful wife for bringing this side of him out in the open. The Senate has become more accessible not just to media but to netizens who read Senate President Vicente “Tito Sen” Sotto’s tweets about major issues. I love “Tito Sen” because he is always direct to the point and, though supportive of the President, is not the type to yield the independence of an institution that both he and his grandfather grew to love.
For a modernity boost, I hope that the Senate as an institution fully embraces all social-media platforms including Instagram and YouTube. Whoever heads the Senate’s public information office can arrange for students to tour the Senate, take “selfies” with the senators and post YouTube videos to share their experience. It is unfortunate that while our senators are quite adept at social media, the institution itself has not been as astute. Perhaps, Sens. Sonny Angara and my kababayan, Joel Villanueva, can help turn things around by making the Philippine Senate as tech-friendly and social media-friendly as possible.
It cannot be avoided that our present crop of senators have become celebrities in their own right, although some of them started out as celebrities before joining the Senate. Of course, there will be a great deal of pressure on the newcomers—from fashion to passion—and the sooner they find their niche, the better. Sen. Imee Marcos would have to live up to people’s expectations as many of them still remember her brother Bongbong’s memorable performance in the Senate, and of course, her father’s long political shadow. Sen. Francis “Tol” Tolentino is expected to bring a sense of practicality with him given his previous roles as city mayor and MMDA chairman.
Undoubtedly, there will always be that yearning to hear the patriotic interventions of Jovito Salonga, Ka Turing Tolentino, Miriam Defensor-Santiago and of course, my personal idol, Ka Blas Ople. Nevertheless, history is made in the present, and it is up to this new batch of senators to make their mark. The neophytes in the Senate must cherish every vote cast, while including in their thoughts, words and actions those who did not vote for them. Sens. Go, Tolentino and dela Rosa, who owe their victory to President Duterte’s vast reservoir of trust, must learn to shine on their own, and compete with more senior colleagues.
The winning candidates of 2019 got what they wanted. Now, what we, the voters, want is to see them actually deliver on their promises. Who among our current crop of leaders have what it takes to level up in 2022 when the presidency becomes vacant? We look forward to such revelations soon.
Susan V. Ople heads the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute, a nonprofit organization that deals with labor and migration issues. She also represents the OFW sector in the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.