Ilonggo leaders who should be in the senate

By Alex P. Vidal

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” – Lao Tzu

WE need Ilonggos in the Philippine Senate to replace former Senate President Franklin “Frank” Drilon who has retired from public service.

Based on their recent national exposure, the frontrunners should be Iloilo 3^rd district Rep. Lorenz “Nonoy” Defensor, Iloilo first district Rep. Janette Loreto-Garin, DILG Undersecretary Jed Patrick Mabilog, and Iloilo 4^th district Rep. Ferjenel “Ferj” Biron.

The three solons actively participated when the House of Representatives Committee on Justice tackled and approved the committee report and resolution setting forth the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio a month ago.

There is no doubt they were able to give the voters from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao who watched the dramatic event a glimpse of how good they are and what they can do for the country once they are elected in the Upper Chamber.

Defensor has the edge because he is expected to make heads turn as one of the House prosecutors in the vice president’s impeachment trial in July, which will be watched by millions of Filipinos in the Philippines and abroad.

Mabilog, on the other hand, will have more opportunity to buoy up his name in the national level now that he is in the helm of the country’s premier department, which is in charge of the 228,000-strong PNP and the local chief executives from Aparri to Jolo.

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The senate today has become lackluster and cheap because of the absence of quality Ilonggo senators like the late Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Drilon, the magnificent World War II resistance leader Tomas Confesor, Jose Hontiveros, Jose Zulueta, to name only a fews.

They were some of the most prominent senators in Philippine history produced by Iloilo and were known for their significant contributions to national governance, jurisprudence, and lawmaking.

Defensor-Santiago, the best president the Philippines never had, was hailed as the “Iron Lady of Asia” and a globally recognized legal luminary, trial judge, and multi-term senator known for her fiery speeches and prolific bill-filing.

She “ate death threats” for breakfast.

Drilon, who is still very much active in today’s political discussions, is considered as an influential statesman who served multiple terms as Senate President.

He could have been a presidential timber before he announced his retirement from politics but opted to stay away from political intramural to pave the way for younger candidates for the country’s highest elective office.

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Drilon is best remembered as one of the most active and prominent secretaries of the late former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino after the EDSA Revolution.

He is credited for sponsoring key economic and revenue laws and championing urban development projects in his hometown. He also served under the administrations of former Presidents Fidel V. Ramos and Joseph “Erap” Estrada.

Confesor was best known as the “Lion of the Visayas” and served as a senator after the war. He was known for his fierce loyalty to the republic and anti-corruption stance.

Hontiveros was a jurist and delegate to the 1934 Constitutional Convention who served as a Senator of the Insular Government and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

Zulueta was an Ilonggo statesman who served in the Senate and held the position of Senate President during the 2nd Congress.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)