IMPEACHMENT was the inevitable topic when this writer joined a coffee gathering despite the week’s persistent rains. There were some new faces at the table, but the familiar ones — old friends who invited me — anchored the conversation.
***
“I just don’t get it,” said the golfer. “Why are our elected congressmen — though not so much the senators — so intent on impeaching a woman who was elected as the second-highest official of the land? Even the congressmen now backing the impeachment once voted for her. Why the change?”
“Oh, c’mon, amigo,” the businessman jumped in. “Can I ask you instead — why are there so many Filipinos dying to get into Congress? Is it really about serving the people?”
***
“Do you honestly think these congressmen would spend millions campaigning just to earn a monthly salary of a hundred thousand pesos?” the retired banker chimed in. “I don’t buy it. It’s all about the money in the House of representathieves, as they call it.”
“I remember what Tatay Digong once said,” added the golfer. “‘When they entered Congress, they were driving Innovas. Once in office, they switched to Mercedes-Benz.’”
***
“But why the hell are these congressmen so focused on impeachment instead of doing what they were elected to do — pass laws that benefit the people?” asked a senior citizen, sipping his black coffee. “What’s really driving this obsession with impeaching the vice president?”
“Pare,” the golfer interjected, “are you really asking, or are you just pretending to be surprised that impeachment is all they think about?”
***
“Rumor — or maybe truth — has it that there’s money involved,” said the lady coffee drinker. “You sign the impeachment, you get rewarded. Cash, of course. What else? I even heard they kicked out one member who didn’t support the House Speaker’s power grab. It’s all about greed now.”
“Well, I heard,” added the tough lady at the table, “that the one leading this pack in Congress has ambitions to become president. But he knows he’s no match against that woman. That’s why he’s reportedly handing out government funds to fellow politicians — to buy loyalty. They say it’s true. Let’s see.”
***
“That just shows people’s representation doesn’t matter anymore,” the golfer remarked. “It’s all about self-interest. Even the former president who drastically reduced the drug problem in this country got removed. It’s clear that the hungry men in power are terrified of the Duterte legacy making a comeback.”
***
“Oh yes, they’re scared,” the businessman agreed. “If the lady becomes president, she’ll dig into all the corruption that many of our politicians are involved in. I’m sure of it. I was shocked — though not really surprised — when I saw a video of Imee Marcos saying something like: ‘Our government isn’t Marcos. It’s Romualdez-Araneta.’”
“That would mean BongB can’t do anything,” he added.
***
As for local politics, many elite names — dynastic or not — have fallen after decades in power. Across the country, once-untouchable political families are losing their grip.
The voters have had enough. Tama na. Sobra na. Change is finally taking root. May this nation rise again.
Mabuhay sana muli ang bansang ito!/PN
