Babe's Eye View article

As always, Filipino humor never stops even in the wake of an abominable bombing literally of the halls of Congress. This is obviously a serious breach of security which makes people feel no one is safe in this country anymore. Not that we condone any act of violence, but a day after the news hit the rounds, blog entries and text messages proliferated claiming the House exploded because it was "full of methane."

Of course, methane is also known by the more indelicate and vulgar term of "fart gas"—implying that the blast happened because the House was full of the Congressmen's gas or hot air. It would have been funny, really, were it not for the underlying seriousness of the circumstances, the deaths and the corresponding collateral damage.

The Philippine National Police initially said the blast was intended for Basilan Congressman Wahab Akbar—one of the fatalities in the explosion—either by terrorist extremists, military adventurists or some other group. Akbar—who is widely believed to have been one of the founders of the Abu Sayyaf Group—has led a rather turbulent life, making a lot of enemies in the process. There's been talk going on that his followers were responsible for the beheading of the Marines during an encounter in Tipo-Tipo, an allegation that Akbar had denied.

In any case, it is rather disturbing to think that terrorists may have become so bold and brazen that they now have the temerity to attack Congress—supposedly one of the most tightly-secured places. Senator Juan Ponce Enrile is convinced the attack was personal and not an act of terrorism, since no group has come forward to make excessive and illegal demands from Congress and the national government.

That's not to say, however, that such groups will not be encouraged to launch an attack against Congress, the Senate or other government offices. Obviously, we have become lax and there have been shortcuts regarding safety rules and security procedures. Those responsible for the security lapse should be made answerable.

Notwithstanding the damage, these text jokes, email messages—and even the rather irreverent feedback from online readers wishing the explosion should have hit more lawmakers—only goes to show how low the people now think of our "honorable" Congressmen because of numerous allegations of bribery, corruption and scandals involving them. These gentlemen are now given dishonorable titles like "Kotongressmen" and "pork lovers." As a matter of fact, sometimes when I greet friends "Congressman!"—they retort, "Are you insulting me?"

You can't really blame people for thinking this way since they see a lot of these supposed "public servants" swaggering with self-importance, going around town escorted by police cops and arrogant security men. It's as if these elected officials want to prove that they really live up to the image of a traditional politician—scornfully tagged as "trapo" or dirt rag by people. Some of them are more concerned about getting their 15 seconds of fame. We won't even name them; we're certain they know who they are anyway.

In fact, even in the wake of the blast which killed one of their colleagues and seriously injured others, some of our honorable congressmen want to do a Nero, who continued to fiddle while Rome was burning. But in this case, while Congress is literally burning—they're off on a junket on December 2 with GMA for the state visit to Spain.

Let's face it, gone are the glory days when lawmakers were looked upon with awe, honor and respect by their constituents. People look back to the old days when the halls of Congress were filled with illustrious politicians who lived up to the reputation of an "august statesman," such as Claro M. Recto, Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez, Jose B. Laurel, Ramon Magsaysay, Manuel Roxas, Arturo Tolentino, Emmanuel Pelaez, to name a few. Back then, these legislators knew they had a responsibility to craft laws, and come up with legislation that would benefit their constituents. The public looked up to them as examples of sobriety, and these men conducted themselves with distinction and dignity.

I was talking to Ed Angara the other day at our MOPC cocktails, and I commented to him that I was glad he and fellow senators Loren Legarda and Mar Roxas are focusing on legislation, doing their work quietly but effectively. In a way, they comprise the "silent minority" among our lawmakers since people do not know what they're doing, unlike those who take every opportunity to hog the limelight and trumpet "microscopic" activities or self-serving "accomplishments."

No doubt legislators need to change the negative and unfavorable image the public has of them. That's not to say all of them are the same, however, since there are still a number of these exceptional men and women in Congress, like those two doctor-lawmakers from Iloilo who administered first aid and put some semblance of order on the chaos during the bombing in Congress.

But the bottom line, however, is that people are angry and disappointed at the majority of our lawmakers, whom they see as expensive and legal deadweights. Judging from the jeers and unsympathetic responses to the bombing, our honorable congressmen need to start reinventing themselves and change their image. Otherwise, the next bomb blast may be more lethal and extensive than the last one.