Talk First, Think Later

20th Congress

DISCLAIMER: Kathang-isip lang po ito. Huwag tayong pala-desisyon. Will try my best to frame this story in the most realistic way possible.

Three years have passed, and the Senate has again convened for the 20th Congress. After fighting tooth and nail to get spots in what's typically an election that reaffirms control, the opposition has managed to get a few more seats than expected.

Among the opposition senators who earned a spot in the Magic 12 was the former Vice President and now Senator Leni Robredo.

Just like in years past, running in the Senate wasn't in the cards for Leni, but once again the call of duty prevailed. Once again, she heeded it just like she always did.

The machinery's gotten more merciless and even more well-oiled the moment she filed her CoC. In an online landscape that gets more polarizing by the day, to say that it was an uphill battle was the understatement of the century.

After years of hard work in nurturing a network of volunteers and civil society members, she succeeded in winning the top spot in the Senate race and getting allies down to the barangays in public office. While still a small number, at this point, a win is a win.

Leni, Kiko, Chel, Neri, Sonny, and Leila have joined Risa, who has taken the mantle of leading the Senate minority, in the ranks thanks to the stronger opposition, and they found unexpected allies in the Cayetano siblings, Alan, and Pia down the line. 9 out of 24? Not bad at all.

But on a more personal level, Leni's best reward is seeing certain nameplates next to each other on the plenary hall.

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On the flipside, things aren't so rosy in the supermajority as things may seem.

As the most senior senator in the 20th Congress, Loren has tried to keep steady amidst the demands of the majority senators. The fight for the plum posts in the different committees has always been par for the course in almost 3 decades in the Upper House, but even she hasn't seen a bloodbath this brutal.

Clearly, the surprise showing of the opposition has thrown them a curveball. The new minority bloc will certainly not be going down without a fight.

Part of her wants to throw her hat in the ring for the Senate Presidency, a position she's been coveting but hasn't taken steps to grab. As far as credentials go, she has the track record for it, and whether one likes it or not, is extremely capable of rallying 24 different republics to a common cause.

But seeing the bloodbath for the Senate Presidency has seen her slide down to the Senate President Pro Tempore role instead.

It's no secret how high her lofty ambitions reach, but seeing a certain senator on the other bloc has given her pause more and more as of late.