Senate’s New Magic 12: The same old whimsy of hocus pocus

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Column Name: The Unfiltered Truth

On May 17, the list of the twelve candidates joining the Senate was officially finalized and if everyone’s to take a close look, it’s easy to recognize a lot of familiar faces and names, considering that three-quarters of this year’s ‘new’ members were reelectionists.

And as the adage goes: “To read the same story is to get the same ending.”

So realistically speaking, there’s little for the Filipino people to expect in the next, six years; Time and time again with the previous elections, this has been proven with the little societal progress that we’ve seen over the years, and this one will be no different from the last electoral results most likely.

Aside from the fact that we likely lack fresh air on new political perspectives, it is also important to recognize that a lot of the candidates who will be soon entering the legislative, have looming conundrums resting upon their shoulders that gravely question their sense of integrity as public servants.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗽𝗱𝗼𝗴𝘀

To start: There are the top runners, Bong Go (1st) and Bato dela Rosa (3rd), who may face trial in the International Criminal Court (ICC) due to their ‘alleged’ involvement in former president Rodrigo Duterte’s infamous war on drugs. The anti-drug campaign is considered to be one of the most inhumane police operations that has been executed within the country, claiming the lives of estimated 30,000 deaths, according to human rights groups to ICC as of 2025.

Needless to say, Go and Dela Rosa are the upper chamber proxies of the detained former president and Vice President Sara Duterte, who is facing an impeachment case. It’s evident that their loyalty is misplaced, leaning towards the Duterte family, and not the nation.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗯𝗶𝘇 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗲

And of course, it wouldn’t be Filipino politics without the ‘showbiz troupe’ which reflects on our countrymen’s ill-educated tendencies of voting for candidates with celebrity backgrounds and/or media popularity instead of the ones with comprehensive and grounded ideals for our national development.

From this list we have radio personality Erwin Tulfo (4th), former Senate President and Eat Bulaga icon Tito Sotto (8th), and action star Lito Lapid (11th). Collectively, they lack the competence and depth to navigate the judicial environment of the cabinet.

Erwin Tulfo, who lacks legislative depth due to his arguably, thin experience in public office also faced various charges in the past which involved several counts of libel and undocumented, US citizenship.

And there’s Lito Lapid, who admitted in an interview some years ago that he often has a hard time understanding English inside the Senate, which basically makes him incapacitated to engage in any of the political discourse that goes within.

Which is really a waste of opportunity because those seats could’ve been given to aspirants with more extensive wisdom and so. It would have been more respectable for them if they just stayed in their lane, and just did what they did best, honestly.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶-𝗣𝗶𝗻𝗼𝘆

Speaking of wrongful views, there’s Rodante Marcoleta (6th) who for some reason, denies the existence of West Philippine Sea, stating it was just ‘made-up’ by the Filipino people and does not appear on international maps back then (even though it was acknowledge by the International Court of Justice in 2016), basically justifying China’s harassment towards the Filipino fishermen within our country’s Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ).

Marcoleta was also responsible for denying ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal to operate as a free network due to its alleged violations that could’ve been settled if true more courteously. As a Communication Arts student, I see it as an active effort to shun freedom of information, which I vehemently disdain.

On a side note, there are allegations that surrounded Ping Lacson (7th) in the past, mostly surrounding his time within the police force regarding human right violations, but as far as we’re concerned, the former police general has never been convicted of crimes.

As stoic as that may sound, there could be reasonable skepticism that he might’ve gotten a clean getaway due to his connections in power.

𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝘆𝗻𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘆

Lastly, the products of deeply ingrained political dynasties: Pia Cayetano (9th), Camille Villar (10th) and Imee Marcos (12th) carrying their fathers’ wills to monopolize power into their families’ reach.

I think it’s sad that a lot of Filipinos have the perception that it’s the ‘family’s calling for public service’ whenever they circulate candidacies within their tree, when in reality it's just an ulterior motive for familial authority that narrows down opportunities for political diversity, that can be beneficial to address the plethora of issues persisting in the Philippines.

This can be clearly seen through the Villars’ ungodly wealth as entrepreneurial tycoons, the Marcoses’ 20-year dictatorship, and the Cayetanos’ reign over Taguig through the years.

They have an unreasonable amount of power alongside funds, within their hands.

I firmly believe that this issue persists on a cultural level due to various factors such as the name recall value, debt of gratitude over relief goods and/or medicine during their campaign period, especially to the less fortunate people, unrefined legalities regarding the issue, etc.

But that is a story for another day. Regardless, their reappearance in the Senate is proof of self-serving interest and is likely just another round of enjoying their seat in power.

In conclusion, these recent senatorial picks signify the current state of the Philippines: stagnant.

However instead of mulling about it, I think it’s best that for now we come to terms with the fact that transforming this roster into something more progressive will take a very long time. Because as I’ve previously mentioned, this is not just a political issue, but also a cultural illness.

We have an alarming number of ill-educated Filipinos and harmful habits/issues to slowly break, such as the ‘padrino’ system, unreasonable loyalty towards political figures, leverage from political machineries, and lack of emphasis on the unrefined constitutional provisions that give leeway to these results.

Only after we find wisdom and break these cultural shackles can we have a realistic chance to see better public servants hold the office and truly represent the welfare of the different Filipino sectors.

But regardless of how distant we still are from that, we must still continue to not just acknowledge but also address these persisting issues and walk towards the different direction one step at a time, away from the traditional politic schematics.

I honestly have a premonition that we may not live long enough to see these transformations materialize, even as to our youth now, considering how severe and deeply-ingrained these issues are. But as long as we continue to do our part as responsible members of this nation, it’s all going to turn out for the best one day.

Publication Details

Published at Komunikator

Released in May 18, 2025

Written by Mark Romero

Original Article: Click Here