The Senate is currently facing a sharp decline in public trust, with its institutional reputation sinking to a “very low” level following a wave of controversies and corruption allegations, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson acknowledged on Saturday.
Speaking in a radio interview, Lacson admitted that negative public sentiment toward the upper chamber is deeply evident, heavily fueled by recent legislative drama and controversial social issues.
“Aminin man namin o hindi, talagang mababang-mababa ang perception ng ating mga kababayan sa Senado sa ngayon. At yun nga nakakalungkot,” Lacson said.
Whether we admit it or not, our countrymen’s perception of the Senate right now is really very low. And that is what’s saddening.
According to the veteran lawmaker, the backlash extends far beyond online commentary. Various sectors—including business leaders, student councils, and civic organizations—have actively issued statements condemning the actions of the chamber.
Lacson emphasized that public frustration goes deeper than last week’s specific disruptions in the plenary, pointing directly to systemic issues regarding alleged corruption among lawmakers.
“Yun sa tingin ko isang pinakamalaking dahilan, yung corruption issues,” he stated.
That is what I think is the biggest reason, the corruption issues.
The senator highlighted a glaring irony in the government’s fiscal management, noting that despite the Supreme Court declaring the traditional pork barrel system unconstitutional, discretionary allocations have allegedly ballooned exponentially.
“Nung buhay pa yung pork barrel, hindi pa nade-declare na unconstitutional. 200 million per senator, 120 million or 70 million per congressman. Kung kailan na-declined na unconstitutional, umabot ng billion. Hindi lamang billion, tens of billions bawat isa,” Lacson explained.
When the pork barrel was still alive and hadn’t been declared unconstitutional yet, it was 200 million per senator, 120 million or 70 million per congressman. Now that it has been declared unconstitutional, it has reached billions. Not just billions, but tens of billions for each one.
Eroding Traditions and Growing Factions
Beyond financial controversies, Lacson raised alarms over changing internal dynamics, particularly regarding the leadership of the Senate President. He argued that the leader should represent the entire chamber rather than acting exclusively for the administration’s allies.
“Itong mga nakaraang mga panahon, para bang yung Senate President, parang siya na lang yung Senate President ng mayorya. Medyo hindi na maganda yung transition, yung transformation,” he remarked.
In recent times, it seems like the Senate President has become just the Senate President of the majority. The transition, the transformation, is not quite good.
He contrasted the current climate with previous Senate rosters, where all-senator caucuses were regularly attended by both majority and minority blocs to hold open, non-partisan discussions.
Lacson noted that partisan divisions are now even physically visible inside the chamber’s private spaces.
“Hindi mo ma-distinguish sa arrangement ng upuan, sa sitting arrangements, kung sino yung majority-minority kasi magkatabi, halo-halo. Pero ngayon, pag nasa lounge kami, kitang-kita mo kung sino yung majority, kung sino yung minority,” Lacson revealed.
You couldn’t distinguish from the seating arrangements who belonged to the majority or minority because everyone sat together, mixed up. But now, when we are in the lounge, you can clearly see who is the majority and who is the minority.
A Call for Institutional ‘Soul-Searching’
To salvage the chamber’s damaged standing, Lacson stressed that senators must undergo a period of deep internal reflection before they can hope to regain the trust of the Filipino people.
He proposed holding a chamber-wide retreat and collective soul-searching workshop, drawing inspiration from a historic unity session led by former Senate President Jovito Salonga in Pansol, Laguna, following the bloody 1989 coup attempt.
“Kailangan siguro magkaroon kami ng self-reflection. Suriin namin ’yung aming mga sarili individually and collectively para pag-isipan namin papaano namin ibabangon ’yung kapurihan ng Senado,” Lacson urged.
Perhaps we need to have self-reflection. We need to examine ourselves individually and collectively so we can think about how to restore the honor of the Senate.
As public dissatisfaction continues to mount, Lacson maintained that such an intervention is vital to restoring unity, professionalism, and institutional integrity within the Senate.