A Tragicomedy

I have had only two and a half hours of sleep, but spending most of last night in the House of Reps was worth missing a good night's sleep. As the majority chugged at hyper speed to amend the House rules, then slide in, Villar style, a resolution other than the one on the order of business, the House minority ably stepped up to the challenge and gave the House thugs a run for their money at every opportunity.

The blow by blow live blog by Manolo is pretty accurate, so please check it out here.

Haste makes waste, and the minority made sure that the various missteps of the majority were brought out into the open. "Open" was an understatement. The House Tragicomedy was live on ANC, and by virtue of The Filipino Channel, seen all over the world. I couldn't have produced a better show. We were receiving texts from all over, all of them from the irate and incensed. One text wonderfully worded described the proceedings as "rivetting and revolting". Thanks, Toots! Another was one that said we should all bestow the rank of "lance corporal" on all the majority Reps.

Watching the minority Reps adroitly challenge every move the majority made was sweet. Feeding off their commitment to truth and the need to keep the dignity of their elected office intact, they all, to a man and woman, fought with their hearts to defend the rape of our Constitution. They moved as one unit, agreed on every move as one. We couldn't have been prouder of them.

The majority, on the other hand, was made up of buffoons, each one thinking his or her idea was better than the other's. That's why the suspensions took so long, none of the majority members could agree on what to do. It was fun watching each of them posture against their fellows.

It was also very sad. Edsel Lagman of Albay and Luis Villafuerte of Camarines Sur were both there, so obviously far and away from the disastrous tragedies wrought by Reming on their provinces. What were they thinking? Why weren't they shoulder to shoulder with their provincemates, digging for the fallen, caring for the survivors? Many of us have donated assistance of all kinds to the poor victims, but these guys should be right there with them offering full support.

What makes the majority so confident and callous to public abhorrence? The sweet, beguiling promise of No-El. The hubris was palpable. Pride goeth before the fall.

Whoever wishes to join us today, proceed to the House Plenary Hall before 4pm. If you're in a marching mood, Akbayan will lead a march from St. Peter's Church on Commonwealth at 1pm. We'll see you there.