Courtesy is dead; long live the people

Senator Joker Arroyo, who was about to retire from public service, lamented what he called the death of courtesy in the chamber he was leaving behind. In an interview with reporters recently, the man harked back to the not-so-distant past when the minority lavished praises on the majority, and vice-versa, as they bowed out to give way to the next Congress.

Now the senators, whether they belong to the majority or the minority, cannot even bring themselves to treat one another with civility.