Kung patay ito, “Sino ang pumatay sa Senado?” ang tanong ng Inquirer. Sino nga ba?
Nakakatawang pakinggan ang mga ganyang pananalita mula sa isang dating senador na minsa’y naging dahilan ng lubusang pagbagsak ng kredibilidad ng–at kawalan ng tiwala ng taumbayan sa–institusyong kinabibilangan niya. Sinong makakalimot sa papel si Tatad sa “no vote” ng Senado sa impeachment trial ni Erap noong Enero 16, 2001 na nagpaputok ng People Power 2?
Ang bayang itong pugad ng luha’t dalita, pinagpupugaran din talaga ng makakapal ang mukha!
Ederic is a Filipino communications worker in the telecom, media, and technology industry. He writes about K-dramas and Korean celebrities for Hallyudorama.
At any rate, Tatad’s doublespeak is right on the money. The Senate IS a dead institution. It seems that since we restored the Senate in 1987, everyone’s forgotten what an august institution the Senate is supposed to be. I think we all forgot when our forebears made Marcos and Ninoy senators, but that’s another era, another story, and for another time.
The Senate was supposed to balance the provinciality and the supposed volatility of the House of Representatives. Well, since the House has been kowtowing to whoever’s in power (Mitra = Aquino, JDV = Ramos/GMA, Villar = Erap until it was politically inconvenient), it’s been more stable than the Senate ever was in the sixteen odd years since 1987.
The House has been reduced to a legislature of toadies, as opposed to the Senate, which is a legislature of wannabes. It’s sad, but true (thanks, Metallica).
I still rather would have this than eliminate the legislature. We lost a whole generation of leaders getting back on track.
Kit Tatad’s an entirely different creature. He is best known for being an apologist of two Presidents who, at the moment, are on the wrong side of history. He is less known for being a political survivor, having been in power (relatively, more or less) for the past thirty-odd years. How he gets his votes with the reputation he has is anyone’s guess.
It’s not hard for me to see Bobi Tiglao doing the same thing twenty, thirty years down the road.
I guess that’s the normal course of things when you’ve mastered the art of doublespeak.
tadtarin si tatad!