END TO PARALYSIS

FINALLY, the Senate deadlock has been broken. Sen. Robert Jaworski, a
former basketball star, had to change courts to bring about an end to the
paralysis in the Senate. We don't know what his real reasons were for
moving over to the administration side, but looking at this development
from the pragmatic point of view, we are glad that the impasse has been
resolved.

With the nation facing a host of problems and with people getting
disillusioned with the workings of a democracy, we can ill afford to have a
Senate that is caught in the grip of political paralysis. Important
measures cannot be enacted into law unless the Senate acts on them. An
opposition-controlled Senate can be expected to make it hard for the
administration to pass its pet measures.

With the administration now enjoying a clear majority, the way is clear for
the passage of the administration's vital measures. Still we hope that this
will not mean the operation of a senatorial "railroad." We trust that all
the senators--both in the majority and the minority--will continue to
consider all bills with a critical eye.

What are the other implications of the return of the Senate to
administration control? For one, there is no longer any pressure on
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to appoint Sen. Blas Ople as foreign
secretary. Admittedly, Ople has the name and the experience, but there are
other candidates who are eminently qualified for the position. There's
former Sen. Leticia Shahani, a former career ambassador who once held the
position of undersecretary. Among the younger ones, there are Ambassador
Rodolfo Severino, secretary general of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations, former Ambassador to Washington Raul Ch. Rabe and Ambassador to
the United Kingdom Cesar Bautista. Anyone among them can fill the post with
distinction, and they can infuse young blood into the foreign service.

Another appointment that may no longer be necessary is that of Sen. Vicente
Sotto as anti-drug czar. Legal luminaries have expressed concern that
Sotto's appointment to a post that involves the exercise of executive
powers may violate the Constitution. To avoid facing a legal question, it
might be best to appoint another person, not a legislator, to the position.

Then there is talk that the President promised Jaworski and the Revillas
that Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. would be included in the administration's
senatorial ticket in 2004. We hope this is not true. We already have too
many entertainment people in the Senate.

We hope that with the impasse ended, the senators will buckle down to work
and stop their politicking. The Senate has been called a chamber composed
of 24 presidential aspirants. We hope, for the sake of the country, that
the senators will forget their ambitions for the moment, set partisan
considerations aside and work on legislation that will promote the national
interest.