Week 21 of the coronavirus quarantine

SINCE we are all on lockdown and watching what comes through television and radio, we were all in place to witness the tragicomedy that played out last week at the lower House, home of dynasts and their enablers.

The melodrama was centered on the gentleman’s agreement ( so- called, but only by definition without any grounding in reality as it turned out) that two lawmakers and their fellows had agreed to 15 months ago.

But due to hubris, lust for power, greed, selfishness, absence of honor and other vices, one intransigent protagonist, aided and abetted by allied colleagues, reneged on the pact. As the vices mentioned above and perhaps more that we are in the dark about ran rampant, it was a matter of buying up support for ignoring what was agreed upon by spreading largess coming from taxpayers’ money. Thus, 24 deputy speakers, numerous committee chairmen and vice chairmen were created and endowed with large emoluments, including humongous sums ( in the billions) for districts whose leaders would be called upon to support the intransigent one to repudiate the gentleman’s agreement. This was demonstrated in the charade of a session where the Intransigent One offered his resignation ( not irrevocably as it turned out) with his allies rejecting it on cue and casting their votes to keep him in place and their offices and emoluments intact.

The above scene was stomach- churning enough without the hypocritical speeches and name- calling that came along. But we had to hold on to our insides until a deux ex machina or Duterte ex machina brought on a lightning change on the course of the melodrama ( not drama as in characters of heroic proportions, just tragicomedy characterized by clowns and jesters and their herd of sheep followers). Whereupon the majority that voted to support intransigence suddenly became the same majority that disavowed it and validated the gentleman’s agreement under some kind of duress that we cannot as of now define.

One would think that with a sigh of relief, contempt, derision this would all be over for us the put-upon public. But no, there was more.

The Intransigent One made a sudden irrevocable resignation (a new Speaker was already in place so this was superfluous) with a whining apology that he “misunderstood” the presidential instructions (out with the idea of legislative independence, in with the tuta mentality) that he had to get the budget through before leaving. This was an outright falsehood as the circumstances are that he had declared a congressional recess before the budget was done, calling for a vote to reject his pseudo resignation and preparing to hold on for dear life to the Speaker’s gavel.

In subsequent interviews again on television and radio, those who took a stand for intransigence began to claim neutrality due to concern for the budget ( after agreeing to close Congress until Nov. 16 without properly discussing and passing the budget), and distancing themselves from the squabble where they were the main characters. Others suddenly switched sides with inane and preposterous explanations; a number disappeared into the woodwork. Others simply but clearly reneged on their pledge of loyalty.

So, that was the scene of petty characters fighting for themselves, not for their friends, not for their parties, not for their leaders, and definitely not for the institution of Congress or the people they represent, or the country for that matter. Just for themselves.

One suddenly neutral congressman (closely allied from Day 1 with the Intransigent One) was asked if he was proud of Congress and he said yes (of course). He was then asked if he was proud of what Congress had accomplished? Another forthright yes. And what about his loud and vindictive ABS-CBN vote to deny the network a franchise? Yes, he could be proud of that vote too, because he noted that ABS-CBN still thrives because it has learned a lesson from the denial of a franchise (a non sequitur) and will come back stronger. It seems he was again switching sides or turning from gung ho supporter to “neutral” before our eyes. Gratuitously, he added that like Congress on ABS-CBN, his parents were hard on him, tested him, made him undergo pain from which he emerged to be what he is, obviously implying, if not proclaiming, that he is a paragon of virtue, of lawmaking, of ethics that we should admire and be thankful for. Indeed, we endure a world of characters like him who claim to be our leaders.

In all of the above, the new Speaker said one truth in his speech upon assuming office, and it was that the Filipino people looked upon the Lower House with “derision.”

Ladies and gentlemen, suppress your memory of this week’s political chicanery and look at the better part of our universe — our families, friends, fellow working Filipinos in this blessing of a country (as long as the Lower House is not part of the equation).