Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano turned to pop culture on Saturday, May 23, utilizing Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) expansion titles to simplify the chamber’s ongoing political controversies for the younger generation.
During a social media livestream, Cayetano shared a late-night conversation with his nephew who had asked him, “What’s happening sa Senate?”
The top lawmaker admitted he initially found it difficult to break down intricate issues like the International Criminal Court (ICC) probe, witness protective custody, and internal legislative disputes into concepts a child could understand.
“So, having said that, I figured out a way,” Cayetano said. “If I can do it all over again and my pamangkin says, ‘What’s happening?’ I’ll start with Mega Dream.”
So, having said that, I figured out a way. If I can do it all over again and my nephew says, “What’s happening?” I’ll start with Mega Dream.
The Senate President mapped out the political landscape using four fictionalized expansion pack titles: “Mega Dream,” “Perfect Order,” “Ascended Heroes,” and “Chaos Rising.”
According to Cayetano, “Mega Dream” represents grand aspirations rooted in divine purpose, whereas “Perfect Order” illustrates humanity’s constant battle to preserve harmony against greed, corruption, and violence.
While “Ascended Heroes” embodies the collective effort of people striving to do good, he warned against viewing governance through a simplistic lens of good versus evil.
He lamented how modern political discourse has devolved into blind partisanship, comparing it to a lawless fraternity brawl.
“So ang problema ngayon sa algorithm natin, sa ating political thinking, parang rumble ng fraternity members na e kung patayan na o gulpihan na, I don’t care about who’s right and wrong. Dun lang ako sa kakampi ko,” Cayetano remarked.
So the problem now with our algorithm, with our political thinking, it’s like a fraternity rumble where if it comes down to killing or beating each other up, I don’t care about who’s right and wrong. I will just stick with my ally.
Cayetano concluded his analogy with “Chaos Rising,” which he said defines the current state of Philippine politics.
He noted that instability does not solely come from forces trying to dismantle institutions, but also from elements resisting necessary reforms.
“Chaos is not only brought by bad people who want to destroy something good. It’s also brought by bad people who want the status quo not to change,” he said.
The leader reminded the public that real-world problems persist beyond the political noise, citing critical national challenges including inflation, spiking fuel costs, currency fluctuations, food insecurity, fertilizer shortages, and the harsh impact of the El Niño phenomenon.
“So from our mega dream to the perfect order, to the ascended heroes, to the chaos rising, life is like that,” he said. “But unlike Pokémon, which is a game and it’s for collectors, you’re dealing with real lives here and not imagination.”
Pokémon card collecting maintains a massive global and local following, with Filipino enthusiasts frequently buying expansion packs to “pull” and trade rare, valuable cards purely for their collection value rather than competitive play.