[OPINION] May pag-asa pa ba ang bansa?

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What the headlines over the past week have revealed is not simply political turmoil, but the breakdown of institutions that are supposed to stabilize democracy.

The Senate — once regarded as the country’s deliberative chamber and constitutional counterweight — has appeared increasingly consumed by confusion, factionalism, procedural chaos, and political theater. 

Yesterday’s drama, punctuated by pro-Duterte senators breaking down in tears, further reinforced the image of a senate trapped between constitutional duty and political calculation. Instead of projecting sobriety and political maturity at a moment of national consequence, these senators projected uncertainty and partisanship. 

For many Filipinos, the spectacle deepened an already dangerous perception: that institutions are becoming arenas for elite survival rather than instruments of public policy and accountability.

In sharp contrast, the House of Representatives now appears unusually disciplined and unified as it prepares for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. Whatever one’s position on the impeachment itself, the chamber once widely viewed as the bastion of transactional politics and self-interest has projected institutional purpose. It has positioned itself as ready to prosecute, with consolidated numbers and remarkable message discipline.

Beyond Congress 

This contrast matters because impeachment is not an ordinary political dispute. It is one of the gravest constitutional mechanisms in a democracy. It tests not only the strength of evidence against a public official, but also the maturity, credibility, and stability of democratic institutions themselves.

But the deeper problem extends far beyond Congress: rising prices, slowing economic growth, a weakening peso, declining foreign investments, shrinking civic spaces, and deepening public frustration. Another young person was killed in an armed encounter in Negros, while charges against the 27 directors and staff of the Cebu-based NGO Community Empowerment Resource Network (CERNET) for alleged violations of the Anti-Terrorism Financing Act were dismissed. 

Together, these events reveal a democracy under severe strain.

What ties these seemingly disconnected developments together is a growing collapse of public trust. Institutions meant to uphold justice, accountability, and democratic participation are increasingly viewed as instruments of political survival and entrenched power. As democratic space narrows and economic hardship deepens, more Filipinos — especially the youth — are beginning to question whether meaningful change is still possible within the existing system.

Across the country, ordinary people struggle with insecure jobs, stagnant wages, rising food prices, poor healthcare, overcrowded schools, and an uncertain future. Yet much of Philippine politics appears detached from these realities. Public debate is increasingly consumed not by discussions on how to improve people’s lives, but by impeachment arithmetic, factional rivalries, succession politics, and elite conflict.

The country’s politics has become less about governance and more about managing power.

Wide disconnect

Because of this, promises of reform sound increasingly hollow to people who experience poverty, inequality, and injustice every day. The disconnect between political elites and ordinary citizens continues to widen.

The chaos in the Senate is not merely distracting the country from its real problems; it is one reason these problems persist. When politics revolves around impeachment battles, factional wars, and political survival, urgent concerns such as poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, poor public services, and inequality are pushed aside. 

Politics becomes consumed by dynastic interests instead of confronting why young people still take up arms, or why organizations like CERNET have to continue serving poor communities despite harassment and red-tagging.

This is the deeper context behind the death of another young person in Negros. People are rarely radicalized by propaganda alone. Many are pushed by lived experience — by poverty, unpunished corruption, indifferent institutions, and a political system seemingly incapable of meaningful reform.

This is also why the dismissal of the charges against the CERNET 27 matters. Cases like these are often justified in the name of national security, yet many collapse because they rely on weak evidence and sweeping accusations. The result is not a stronger democracy, but a shrinking civic space where activists, development workers, journalists, church people, and civil society groups are harassed and red-tagged simply for organizing communities, defending rights, or criticizing government failures. When peaceful avenues for reform are narrowed, the state unintentionally strengthens the belief that peaceful change is impossible.

Inequality persists because the political system rewards patronage, dynastic consolidation, and short-term political calculations instead of competence, institution-building, and long-term development. For many Filipinos — especially the youth — this creates a deep sense of hopelessness: the belief that no matter who wins in Manila, ordinary lives remain unchanged.

The challenge is bigger than defeating insurgency or winning elections. It is about restoring trust in democracy itself. It is about rebuilding institutions that can deliver justice fairly, protect civic spaces, encourage meaningful public participation, and pursue economic and social reforms that people can actually feel in their daily lives.

And so the question raised by this week’s headlines is not merely political but existential: May pag-asa pa ba ang bansa? (Is there hope for this country?)

The answer depends on whether our political leaders are willing to confront the country’s fundamental problems instead of remaining trapped in endless power struggles and institutional warfare. 

If those in power continue to focus more on preserving alliances and protecting elite interests than on reducing poverty, improving public services, creating jobs, and expanding opportunities, then frustration and hopelessness will only deepen.

Radical movements grow when inequality becomes unbearable and institutions lose credibility. They are fueled by ordinary citizens who feel abandoned by the very leaders and institutions meant to serve them.

The real challenge that Congress and the government must confront is not simply how to defeat insurgency or survive another impeachment crisis. It is how to build a political system that gives people reason to believe that justice, reform, and a better future are still possible within democracy itself.

It is about convincing a new generation that meaningful change can still be achieved without sacrificing their lives, freedoms, or future.

To our political leaders: the nation’s crises will not wait for the 2028 elections. The time to act is now. – Rappler.com

Earl Parreño is a political activist, a social entrepreneur, and author helping drive reforms and deepen public participation in democratic processes.