Senate decorum being redefined as celebrity pols bring crassness

COMPOSITE IMAGE: DANIELLA MARIE AGACER FROM INQ STOCK, SENATE FILE PHOTOS

MANILA, Philippines—How does one become eligible for the Senate? The 1987 Constitution has only five requirements, but once elected, how should senators, as representatives of the people, act?

Last week, former Senate President Franklin Drilon asked current members of the Senate to mind their conduct, especially when in sessions or committee hearings.

He pointed out that “the lack of decorum” some senators had shown in previous months could inadvertently erode the Senate’s credibility and prestige, so Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri should express “displeasure with what’s happening.”

READ: “Very noisy session”: Drilon asks Zubiri to bring back prestige of Senate

Maria Ela Atienza, a professor of political science at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, said in an institution as respected as the Senate, there should always be dignity.

She told INQUIRER.net via FB Messenger that members of the Senate should know the written and unwritten processes and procedures of the body, observe them, and act “respectably.”

Atienza explained that in a bicameral legislature, like that in the Philippines, membership in the Senate means that “there are higher expectations,” so senators should “not bring shame to the office.”

“While they are ‘representatives’ elected by the people and may actually reflect the best and worst of their constituents, senators are normally expected to be ‘elder statesmen’ worthy of respect,” she said.

As stated in the 1987 Constitution, no person shall be a Senator unless he or she is a natural-born Filipino citizen, at least 35 years old on the day of the election, able to read and write, a registered voter, and a resident of the Philippines for not less than two years immediately preceding the day of the election.

It was, however, pointed out by Atienza that once elected, a lot more is expected, saying that like the President and Vice President, senators are elected nationally so they can potentially assume the two highest offices of the land.

Irreverent

Drilon did not single out any senator, but his statement came a month after Sen. Robin Padilla drew criticism as videos of him combing his mustache with hardly an effort to be discreet while a committee hearing was being conducted, went viral.

He was likewise seen disregarding parliamentary language when trying to make a point.

Sen. Bato dela Rosa drew criticisms, too, when he blew his top and knelt before police officials when the Senate continued its investigation over the P6.7 billion shabu “cover-up.”

READ: Kneeling Dela Rosa to cops: Maawa kayo sa Pilipinas, speak up on P6.7-B shabu bust

Padilla said he did not feel alluded to by Drilon, but stressed that the current members of the Senate were taking their jobs seriously, saying that there are serious problems that need to be addressed immediately.

READ: Padilla hits back at Drilon: ‘New Senate members are taking jobs seriously’

Dela Rosa, meanwhile, said sorry for being carried away by his emotions sometimes: “I sometimes forget that I am a senator, I think I am still a police officer.”

It was pointed out by Drilon that a “very noisy session” is an example of “lack of decorum” that he observed, saying that though it was a problem during their time, they would address it by moving to “adjourn the session at the back.”

Drilon said Zubiri should “draw the line” because keeping the prestige of the Senate is his responsibility, stressing that “he must see to it that the trust of the people in the Senate as an institution remains high.”

‘Celebrity politics’

It was in 1916 when the Philippine Legislature, which is a bicameral legislative body composed of a Senate and a House of Representatives, were vested legislative powers by the Jones Law.

Since then, the Senate, which has 24 members, has been served by well-known lawyers and academics. Some of them later became president, like Manuel Quezon, Manuel Roxas, and Carlos Garcia.

But throughout the years, the Senate has been home to celebrities, too—film and television stars, broadcasters, and sports personalities. Who would forget Joseph Estrada, who even became chief executive in 1998?

It was stated by Jean Franco, a professor of political science at UP Diliman, in a 2013 article that Rogelio dela Rosa, a matinee idol in the 1950s, was the first film star to become a senator in 1958.

She said Eddie Ilarde, a radio broadcaster, won a Senate seat in 1970, too, “but it was not until 1987, when congressional elections were first held under the new Constitution, that ‘celebrity politics’ became more pronounced.”

GRAPHIC: Ed Lustan

The reason was that Estrada, a long-time mayor of San Juan and a famous movie star and producer, made it to the Senate. He later became president but was ousted in 2001 because of corruption.

Based on data from the Senate’s website, which was compiled by INQUIRER.net, since 1987, each of its sessions had two to five celebrities, with the current one – 19th Congress – having the most celebrities.

The 9th (1992-1995), 10th (1995-1998), 15th (2010-2013), 16th (2013-2016), and 18th (2019-2022) Congresses each had four celebrities as Senate members, while there were three each in the 12th (2001-2004) and 13th (2004-2007) Congresses.

The 8th (1987-1992), 11th (1998-2001), 14th (2007-2010), and 17th (2016-2019) Congresses had two each, including former Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Manny Pacquiao.

The rest of the celebrities who became senators were Ramon and Bong Revilla, Lito Lapid, Noli de Castro, Orlando Mercado, Freddie Webb, Robert Jaworski, Jinggoy Estrada, Raffy Tulfo, and Padilla.

Populism

But should the entirety of “celebrity politics” be blamed?

It was previously stressed by Jinggoy, a film actor himself, that “being a celebrity is not a hindrance to sincerely serve the people because nobody has the monopoly on public service.”

So what is the problem now?

Sol Iglesias, an assistant professor of political science at UP Diliman, said decorum in the Senate and other official institutions or procedures is a “measure of civility in political interactions.”

“Civility means that high office and one’s peers—including political opponents—need to be treated with respect,” she told INQUIRER.net via WhatsApp.

She stressed that “populism is performance.”

“We’ve seen this irreverent behavior before with no less than former presidents, like Joseph Estrada and Rodrigo Duterte,” she said, referring to the instances that possibly prompted Drilon to call on Zubiri to bring back the prestige of the Senate.

Iglesias explained that “crassness as anti-elitism can enhance a sense of being relatable, projecting an image that ‘I am one with you’ to ordinary Filipinos,” pointing out the political approach that strives to appeal to the masses who feel disregarded by the elite.

Filipinos need gov’t presence

Based on 2018 data from the Social Weather Stations (SWS), Filipinos, especially the masses, want someone they can trust and relate to—someone they believe has concern for them.

The result of the survey that was commissioned by the Stratbase ADR Institute revealed that 25 percent of Filipinos look for a candidate who “will not be corrupt,” while 22 percent said they want someone who will help or has concern for the poor.

There were 21 percent each, too, who pointed out good personal characteristics and trustworthiness as qualities they look for in a candidate seeking a seat in the Senate. Nine percent said they look for someone who can solve socio-economic problems.

GRAPHIC: Ed Lustan

As stressed by the SWS, there were only six percent who want a candidate with good leadership skills, while only three percent said they look for someone who is educated, intelligent or bright.

But while “crassness” can help someone become relatable, Iglesias said “this conceals the reality that a huge gulf of wealth and privilege actually separates these politicians from the populace.”

“The bravura also hides that these politicos may be ill-prepared for serious matters of state,” she said.

Problematic

Looking back, there was an instance when Dela Rosa, chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, said he would want to strangle policemen who were allegedly involved in the theft of seized narcotics.

Back in 2020, the former police chief of Duterte, who implemented the bloody war on drugs, was likewise criticized over his remark when the session ended relatively early: “Sarap ng buhay! Sarap ng buhay! Ganito na lang tayo palagi ha?”

READ: ‘Sarap ng Buhay’ ends for ‘Bato’

Padilla, chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes, was hit earlier this year, too, for saying that students can tolerate slight physical bullying, but not mental torture.

READ: Padilla says slight physical bullying ‘OK’

As to combing his mustache, he said: “There’s nothing in the Senate rules against combing one’s mustache. If there’s a rule on that and it is prohibited, I would comply.”

GRAPHIC: Ed Lustan

A new senator, who received over 26 million votes in last year’s election, Padilla is also the chairman of the Senate Committees on Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs and Public Information and Mass Media.

Padilla, based on a statement released last week, pointed out that the “current crop of senators come from a new generation, and their work is not based on being honorable-looking.”

Likewise, he said “they are from the masses and have their feet on the ground.” He defended the current leadership of the Senate, too, saying that they are always reminded about proper decorum.

Lost chance

Iglesias, however, stressed that “it is unfortunate that important issues Sen. Robin Padilla has usefully raised, such as promoting the use of Filipino or making Senate procedures easier for the public to understand, got lost amid the drama.”

Last year, Padilla proposed that all proceedings and verdicts be made in Filipino, expressing his frustration that a lot of prisoners do not comprehend why they were detained because court decisions were in English.

As Atienza pointed out, not acting with dignity and not taking seriously one’s job as a senator or representative of the people is “a gross disrespect to citizens,” saying that the office has heavy responsibilities.

“They legislate as well as act as check and balance to the other branches,” she said.

“They have to take these responsibilities seriously instead of showing poor understanding of issues, unfamiliarity with procedures, being unprepared for debates, not appreciating evidence, and sleeping, laughing and doing or saying things that disrespect colleagues and the public.”

She said “they can exercise public relations stunts but they also have to prove that they can do the job, not make themselves look foolish and bring disrespect to the office while performing poorly in legislation, investigations, representation, and checks and balances functions.”

TSB