Outside the box: The Senate’s redemption song

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery None but ourselves can free our minds -    Bob Marley, Redemption Song    

There’s a saying in journalism that goes, “you’re only as good as your last byline.” For those not used to newspeak, a byline refers to the name below the headline in a news story that tells the reader who reported it. Among journalists, the saying simply means you cannot rest on past achievements alone; if you don’t improve your craft as the years go by, then you have not really proven your worth. The mantra came to mind as Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile delivered his 10-page summation of the impeachment proceedings, taking to task both the defense and prosecution panels before he pronounced the accused guilty. As the presiding officer, Enrile indulged the antics of some participants at times, but in general, he handled the proceedings in an authoritative manner. When he ordered a Senate lockdown after then-Chief Justice Renato Corona walked out of the trial, the older audience was reminded of Enrile’s past as a powerful Defense Secretary during the much-hated Martial Law era, and as a coup figure in the 1980s. But when he joined the majority in convicting Corona, carefully laying down the basis for his decision before delivering the verdict, the younger generation reveled in naming Enrile the rock star of the five-month afternoon telenovela. It’s a long way from dictator’s pet to political icon, but in his waning years, the 88-year old Enrile has effectively made the transition and carved a more positive image for himself that will be remembered long after he is gone. Similarly, other senators who have not exactly endeared themselves to the more discerning voters have redeemed themselves quite nicely by delivering a guilty verdict, putting to rest the bitter memory of another infamous walkout in 2001 that damaged the reputation of the Senate. The most notable among them, of course, is the self-described masa senator Lito Lapid, whose “pizza pie” quote quickly made the rounds of social networks after the trial. The reversal of public opinion for Lapid came alongside that of another erstwhile much-maligned figure, Congressman Rodolfo Fariñas, whose closing arguments were definitely the best thing that happened to the prosecution. What began as a sloppy impeachment process at the lower house ended with a brilliant conclusion at the Senate that made people wonder if this was the same man who was accused of domestic abuse when he was still married to Maria Teresa Carlson before she plunged to her death a decade ago. For the three senators who voted to acquit Corona, however, their decision sadly cemented their status as politicians whose dislike for the current occupant of Malacañang has clouded their sense of reason. When Corona made the unwitting disclosure that he had millions of undeclared dollars in his bank accounts, with the lame excuse that he thought they were covered by the secrecy clause in the foreign currency law, it was clear to many viewers that no self-respecting lawyer could defend the magistrate’s innocence. But the mercurial Miriam, who prides herself as a brilliant judge, did just that, with the twisted logic that the glaring omission could simply be corrected. Even the dictator’s son, Bongbong Marcos, who is married to a lawyer, might have been persuaded to convict Corona and redeem the reputation of his family. But instead of rising to the challenge of history, he chose to become a predictable disappointment, perhaps clinging to the false illusion that his last name will some day shake off the Hitler and puppet tags that demonstrators have attached to it. The most tragic of the lot is Joker Arroyo, once a well-respected human rights lawyer but now a whimper of his old activist self. He has gone the opposite trajectory of Enrile, aligning himself with his former enemy’s progeny instead of the Aquino family that he once defended fiercely. If a senator is only as good as his last privileged speech, Joker needs to prove during his final year in the chamber that his principles remain true to the progressive ideals he once espoused. Only then can he sing his own redemption song.