Daily Tribune (Philippines)

Frolicsome frolic for lawmakers

- MANNY ANGELES

In a land where mangoes are sweet, and jeepneys are a way of life, another spectacle unfolds — the never-ending chacha dance between the Philippine Senate and the House of Representa­tives.

At the center of this feuding extravagan­za lies the enigmatic RBH 6 and the perenniall­y perplexing Charter change initiative.

Resolution of Both Houses 6, or simply RBH 6, sounds like a sequel to a children’s book gone terribly wrong. But alas, it’s not a tale of fluffy bunnies but rather a saga of political posturing that would make even the most seasoned telenovela director blush.

Picture this: Senators and members of Congress locked in a battle of wits (or lack thereof), all while the nation’s fate hangs precarious­ly in the balance.

On one side of the ring, we have the Senate, led by the illustriou­s Miguel Zubiri. With furrowed brow and a flair for the dramatic, Zubiri champions the cause of the beleaguere­d senators, arguing passionate­ly for their right to frolic freely in the fields of legislativ­e liberty.

“We must protect the Senate at all costs!” he declares, brandishin­g a carrot as a symbol of his unwavering commitment to the cause.

Meanwhile, we have the House of Representa­tives in the other corner, led by the irrepressi­ble Martin Romualdez as Speaker. With a mischievou­s twinkle in his eye and a penchant for stirring up trouble, this cousin of the current tenant of Malacañang leads his merry band of congressme­n in a dance of legislativ­e lunacy.

“I strongly deny that I have a hand in the People’s Initiative,” he exclaims, as he gleefully tosses aside any notion of being the architect of such effort in favor of more pressing matters, like who gets the last piece of lechon at the congressio­nal buffet.

The chaos doesn’t end there. Enter the Great Charter change Caper, a whimsical quest to amend the sacred document that governs the land. Like a group of intrepid explorers setting out to discover El Dorado, lawmakers from both chambers embark on a journey fraught with peril and political intrigue.

In one corner, we have the Senate, cautious and contemplat­ive, approachin­g the task with all the gravitas of a scholarly dissertati­on.

“Let us proceed with caution,” intones our solons from the Upper Chamber as they pore over the intricacie­s of constituti­onal law.

In the other corner, we have the House of Representa­tives, bold and brash, charging ahead with the reckless abandon of a bull in a china shop.

“The confrontat­ional tactics used by the Senate are detrimenta­l to the spirit of cooperativ­e governance and the public’s confidence in parliament­ary processes,” declares a House resolution of congressme­n in a mad dash to rewrite the game’s rules.

As the Senate deliberate­s and the House huffs and puffs, the nation watches in amusement and perhaps a tinge of trepidatio­n as the drama unfolds. When will this bickering end? Will the Constituti­on eventually be changed? Will anyone actually get anything done?

Stay tuned, dear readers, as the lawmakers we trusted to put sanity to our Republic engage in a verbal sparring match of epic proportion­s.

Meanwhile, the fate of the people hangs in the balance. Will they be rescued from their bureaucrat­ic bondage, or will they be left to fend for themselves in the wilds of legislativ­e limbo?

Only time will tell.

“As

the Senate deliberate­s and the House huffs and puffs, the nation watches in amusement and perhaps a tinge of trepidatio­n as the drama unfolds.

Resolution of Both Houses 6, or simply RBH 6, sounds like a sequel to a children’s book gone terribly wrong.

 ?? ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Philippines