The Senate, in Theory and in Shame
I understand why a Senate exists. At least in theory.
A second chamber is supposed to check the House, scrutinize the executive, improve legislation, and stop bad laws from being rushed through. In a functioning democracy, that role matters.
But looking at the Philippine Senate now, it is hard not to feel disgusted.
Too much of the chamber seems swallowed up by political self-preservation. We have seen the leadership drama involving Alan Peter Cayetano replacing Tito Sotto. We saw the attempt to place Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa under Senate protective custody amid the ICC warrant controversy. We are watching the continuing power struggle around Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial. And now there is the controversy involving Rodante Marcoleta, who is reportedly facing plunder and indirect bribery complaints before the Ombudsman.
Dela Rosa remains wanted by the ICC over alleged crimes against humanity tied to the Duterte drug war, while Philippine authorities have said they are seeking his arrest.
While Politicians Posture, Filipinos Wait
These are not small things. And taken together, they do not look like isolated controversies. They look like a Senate busy protecting factions, shielding allies, settling scores, and preparing for the next national election cycle. Whether every move is directly about 2028 or not, the behavior certainly feels like pre-campaign warfare.
And while they posture, ordinary Filipinos wait.
They wait for serious oversight of public spending. They wait for accountability in infrastructure and procurement. They wait for real work on healthcare, food prices, wages, public transportation, disaster preparedness, education, water supply, flooding, and garbage management.
They wait for a government that treats daily suffering as urgent, not as background noise.
That is what makes this spectacle so insulting. The Senate is not cheap. It is powerful. Its members are elected nationally and given enormous visibility. Yet too often, that power seems to be spent on protecting allies, attacking enemies, rehearsing campaign narratives, and keeping political families relevant.
When a Check Becomes a Cartel
To be fair, I am not saying “abolish the Senate tomorrow.” That would be too easy, and maybe too careless. A second chamber can be useful. In a country where the presidency and the House can also be captured by dynasties and factions, checks and balances are not something we should casually throw away.
But when the supposed check becomes another cartel of ambition, people have every right to ask what it is still good for.
If senators cannot put the people first, if they cannot stop turning the chamber into a staging ground for 2028, if they cannot do the work they were elected and paid to do, then Filipinos should seriously ask whether this version of the Senate still deserves its place in our democracy.
Because right now, it does not look like the Senate is serving the people.
It looks like the people are being made to serve the Senate.