Friday, November 21, 2008 Roperos: Senate’s games By Godofredo M. Roperos Politics Also
CATCH them, if you can. Our senators, it appears, are at it again. Playing around with political games, their power and influence in tow, trying to secure a better place to ensconce their political interest.
I don’t know what the new power group in the Upper House is up to, what plans they have in store for their millions of constituents. But for the moment, it appears that the focus of the new Senate leadership is “dividing the spoils and paying up past due political debts.”
Thus, some senators are losing old committee positions and getting new ones in accordance with how heavily he owes the new Senate president a debt of gratitude, or just simply a political debt.
Our friend Joker Arroyo, a classmate at the university many years ago, appears to be one who has found himself on the outside looking in. He was surely not in the camp of the new Senate president even if they came from the same university. During the time when Juan Ponce Enrile was enjoying his powers as man Friday of Ferdinand Marcos, Joker was a “developing” somebody on the other side of the political fence.
I am not sure what will really come out of the present situation in the Senate. But this I am certain: the senators’ paths would collide, and the Senate session hall will be both their playground and battleground. At present count, I think there are at least four of them—Mar Roxas, Loren Legarda, Panfilo Lacson and Manny Villar. Either one of them would feel the need to move.
When that happens, the cordial atmosphere in the Senate under the new majority would vanish. And the jockeying for better position or better media exposure would start anew.
That is a situation that should not happen so the senators will be able to focus on the more pressing national problems, such as setting up measures to strengthen the economy, particularly the ones at ground level that truly needs support from the government to survive.
Our senators, as the senior political leaders of the country, are perceived to be in a better position to understand and push through an effective economic program for the republic. They should be the ones to show by example the imperatives of working first for the national social and economic stability, rather than devote prime time to enhancing their personal aspirations and political interest.
I think that a presidential aspirant could better improve his chances if he can genuinely work for the people.
