Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri surprised the Senate and the entire nation when, in a privilege speech, he resigned from the Senate because of family, honor and integrity. Of course, those against Sen. Migz are saying that he should have done that four years ago, while others are saying that his resignation was done to evade the Senate Electoral Tribunal as a way to pre-empt the inevitable - that he actually lost the elections to senatorial candidate Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel, Jr.
Regardless of the accusations against his person, lesser mortals would have kept his post up to the last minute until the verdict of who won that elections would be decided. But no, Sen. Migz quit and did something that few people in this government cannot even fathom simply because the word “delicadeza” is a foreign word to most people in the government. This is why I salute Sen. Migz for his courage… that he was willing to step down regardless whether he won or not. The easy way would have been to stay in power until he was replaced. But instead he chose to quit. Now this doesn’t mean that Koko Pimentel has won the race. Far from it.
Why was Migz’ resignation so upsetting or even shocking to most people? That’s because the Filipino people no longer understood what honor and integrity means. The Japanese live by the Bushido Code of conduct, where chivalry still exists. But the Filipino’s “palabra de honor” only existed during the Spanish times, somehow it has become extinct and what Sen. Zubiri showed to the nation was that, this dinosaur called “delicadeza” or “palabra de honor” still exists in this sorry land.
During the bygone era, the people elected into the Philippine Senate were people of proven probity and integrity. This is why we often say that the Senate is one of the hallowed grounds of Philippine politics. But times have changed. Once upon a time, just before Martial Law was declared, when the 1935 Philippine Constitution was still in place, people vying to become Senators had to have a gift of gab or an oratory talent worthy of Plato or Socrates.
We’ve had our very own Don Sergio Osmeña, then Sen. Serging Osmeña, Jr. Claro M. Recto, Don Vicente Sotto, Marcelo Fernan, Ramon Magsaysay, Jr., Emmanuel Pelaez, Camilo Osias, Alejandro Almendras, Eulogio “Amang” Rodriquez. Sr., Gaudencio Antonio, Jose P. Laurel, Salvador “Doy” Laurel and Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr. just to name a few that walked on the hallowed halls of the Senate.
Who do we have as Senators today? We’ve got a Sen. Antonio Trillanes, a mutinous soldier, a destabilizer and coup plotter, we have Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson who recently escaped from the clutches of the law and eventually returned to the Senate because Senators in this land seem to be above the laws that they make. Lesser mortals escaping from the law would immediately be sent to prison for the mere act of running away from the law.
Today, the Filipino electorate elect to the Philippine Senate (and Congress) people whom they read in the newspapers as popular, regardless of their notoriety. But they are not worthy of the tag given to Senators to be addressed as “Honorable” because these are not honorable men anymore. I’m sure that our famous Senators must be turning in their graves. As I pointed out in past columns, the old way of getting elected into the Senate is to possess that gift of gab or a golden tongue who can mesmerize the audience in their oratories or speeches.
In the past decade that we’ve had elections for the Senate, all of them, including the current Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who was once the number two man of the Marcos Martial Law, no longer delivered great oratories, but rather they danced on stage to the tune of “Ocho-ocho” and the other songs in vogue during the campaign and the audience are thrilled by their entertainment.
I view the resignation of Sen. Zubiri as a wake up call to our elected leaders to remind them that their public office is not their family heirloom to be passed on from generation to generation. A public office is a public trust and therefore, it must be held by people of proven probity and integrity. I just hope that Sen. Zubiri won’t be the last resignation our nation will see.
While the anti-corruption campaign (Ang Matuwid na Daan) of Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, III is gaining ground, it is unfortunate that his path to greatness has a lot of potholes and the biggest pothole to day is his recent appointment of retired Lt. Gen. Gaudencio Pangilinan as the Director of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) who is facing a plunder case. If Pres. PNoy wants all Filipinos to follow his lead, then he too must show a good example of honest leadership and not appoint anyone with plunder cases to any government post. So much for daang matuwid!
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Email: vsbobita@mozcom.com