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BY RHICK LARS VLADIMER ALBAY
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Punching a Senator
TO BORROW from a friend and colleague of mine, the other day I was jealous of Jessie Vargas, because he got to sucker punch a Filipino senator.
If you’ve ever mustered enough patience and anger suppression to power through a broadcast of a Senate hearing, then you know the feeling well. It’s a dizzying cocktail of irritation, disgust and amusement. They’re like hours-long boxing matches, but with less nail-biting suspense and more pulpit preaching mouthpieces, trading barbs instead of punches.
People argue that Manny Pacquiao doesn’t belong in the “hallowed halls” of the Senate – that he doesn’t measure up to the high bar set by comedian and ‘80s boy band member Tito Sotto and discount Zorro Lito Lapid. I’d like to argue that he’s right where he should be.
Senator Pacquiao’s rise to the Senate was nothing short of a 12-round bloodbath. The Pacman has survived many a crippling blows, but he barely made it out alive of the May election – he’s had his credentials questioned, his taxes dredged up, as well as his politically incorrect condemnation of gay marriage and his unlimited absences in Congress repeatedly cited against him.
Despite the unending jabs thrown his way, Manny has managed to trump them all and claim a Senate seat. As a legislature Manny has been able to provide unique insight and some much needed moments of levity during hearings.
Pacquiao even threw his gauntlet into the ring, bringing to the floor a motion to end Leila de Lima’s witch hunt / Duterte smear campaign / extrajudicial killings probe – a move many of his detractors found astounding.
To top it all off, he’s found a way to balance his time as a senator with training for boxing, clinching a world title against the younger and taller Vargas on Sunday, despite only sparring at night while in the Philippines.
Senate hearings and probes often become farce, amounting to nothing more than a venue for traditional politicians to hopefully get primetime minutes and column lines by bickering and political theatre. Senators spout quotable lines and godly pronouncements, bolstering their own political aspirations for higher office and slinging partisan dirt, without getting down to the brass tacks of government, without instilling and inspiring any real change.
It used to be we could count on the late feisty senator and death
-threats-for-breakfast diet enthusiast Miriam Defensor-Santiago to reduce bone-headed and opportunistic legislators to cowering piles of dust just by her wit and humor. Without her, Senate hearings have become even more unbearable.
At least we have Pacquiao now. I dream of the day when our humble statesman from Sarangani clocks an arrogant senator in the face for being
out of line or for using a hearing for some premature election campaigning.
Here’s to the hope that before his term ends, Manny will manage to reduce to rubble a Senate peer, maybe by his powerful impassioned words, or maybe by his hard-knock fist. We can dream, right?/PN
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