Work Text:
July 15, 2026
By two o'clock in the afternoon, the Senate had already transformed into a courtroom.
The atmosphere inside the plenary hall was heavier than usual.
Every senator knew history was unfolding in real time.
At the rostrum, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian sat to the right of the Presiding Officer, Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero.
It still felt strange.
Technically, Sherwin could have presided over the impeachment.
Many expected him to.
Some even criticized him for stepping aside.
Weak daw.
Afraid of responsibility.
Unable to command the chamber.
He'd read enough opinion pieces over the weekend to know exactly what people thought.
He had ignored every single one.
Because this had never been about pride.
It had been about the institution.
If Chiz's decades of constitutional litigation could help preserve the integrity of the proceedings, then the decision had been easy.
He didn't need the title at the center chair.
He only needed the Senate to survive the trial with its credibility intact.
Still...
It didn't stop people from talking.
Sherwin adjusted the microphone in front of him as another senator requested recognition.
Across the hall—
Senator Risa Hontiveros quietly took notes.
Focused.
Attentive.
Professional.
Just another day at work.
Five twenty-three.
A fifteen-minute recess.
The gavel struck.
Almost immediately, senators began standing.
Some stretched.
Others walked toward the Senate Lounge.
Coffee suddenly became everyone's priority.
Risa slipped out with several colleagues.
Sherwin remained where he was.
His folders had multiplied.
His phone had not been checked since before lunch.
He finally unlocked it.
Thirty-seven unread messages.
Family group chat.
Office GC.
His communications director.
A few reporters.
Nothing urgent.
Good.
He replied to two messages before placing the phone back on the desk.
Five minutes later, he finally headed toward the lounge.
The break disappeared almost as quickly as it arrived.
Five-thirty-three.
Everyone was back in their seats.
The cameras rolled once more.
The trial resumed.
At exactly 6:02 PM...
...somewhere behind the senator's composed expression—
an entirely different branch of government collapsed.
Twitter.
Risa had finally opened the app after what felt like forever.
One of her younger staff members had practically begged her over the weekend.
"Ma'am... kahit isang tweet lang."
She had laughed.
"Ano bang meron?"
"Ma'am..." the staffer had replied with a sigh that sounded almost spiritual.
"May nagsu-summon po sa inyo."
She hadn't understood.
Until they showed her.
#RisaNaSaX
Thousands.
Upon thousands.
Of tweets.
Edits.
Memes.
Prayer circles.
Reaction images.
One petition demanding—
ITAGO ANG GEL NI SHERWIN
Risa had laughed so loudly inside her office that two staff members looked in.
"They're serious?"
"...Very, ma'am."
She scrolled further.
Apparently...
the internet had collectively decided Senator Sherwin Gatchalian looked significantly more handsome every weekend because he stopped using hair gel.
Entire threads.
Photo comparisons.
Polls.
Even legislative language.
Motion to permanently confiscate Senator Sherwin Gatchalian's hair gel.
Status: Pending Senator Risa's sponsorship.
She had covered her face.
"You people have too much free time."
"Ma'am..."
"They're asking you to intervene."
"I noticed."
Now, seated quietly inside the Senate while another senator addressed the chair—
she typed.
Hi, Winners, WinRi Nation, & Ofifi, I'm here! 👋
Pasensya, busy lang. Maraming salamat for the support at sa patuloy na pagsubaybay sa impeachment!
P.S.: Sasabihan ko si SP na try wag mag-gel, hehe.
Post.
Her phone exploded.
Instantly.
She blinked.
"...Grabe."
Hundreds of thousands impressions.
In under twenty minutes.
Meanwhile—
three meters away—
Sherwin remained blissfully unaware.
Listening to legal arguments.
Reviewing documents.
Passing notes to Chiz.
Completely oblivious to the fact that his hair had become a matter of national discourse.
The trial finally adjourned at 7:44 PM.
The collective exhale inside the chamber was almost audible.
Senators slowly gathered their papers.
Some lingered.
Others immediately headed for interviews.
Sherwin stayed behind.
He always did.
Making sure every folder ended up where it belonged.
Only after the chamber had mostly emptied did he finally retrieve his phone.
Eighty-six notifications.
"...Ano 'to?"
He frowned.
Then stopped.
Opened Twitter.
The first thing he saw—
was Risa's tweet.
He read it once.
Then again.
His eyebrows climbed.
"...WinRi Nation?"
A laugh escaped him before he could stop it.
Then he reached the postscript.
Sasabihan ko si SP na try wag mag-gel, hehe.
"...Ako pa talaga."
He looked around the almost empty chamber.
As though expecting hidden cameras by his social media staffers.
Nope.
Just him and a few more senate employees.
He shook his head, smiling to himself.
Then—
almost without thinking—
opened Messages.
Sherwin:
Good evening, Senator.
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
Risa:
Good evening, SP. 😊
He stared at the screen.
Then typed.
Sherwin:
So...
Apparently may legislative proposal na pala tungkol sa buhok ko?
Several seconds.
Then—
Risa:
😂😂😂
Welcome to my mentions.
Sherwin:
Hindi ko alam na national issue na pala ang hair gel.
Risa:
Hindi mo kasi binabasa.
Sherwin:
Busy ako buong hapon.
Risa:
I noticed.
Habang ikaw nasa rostrum...
Ako ang sinummon nila. 😭
He laughed again.
Sherwin:
Nabasa ko yung tweet mo.
Typing...
Stopped.
Typing...
Stopped.
Sherwin:
Ikaw talaga.
She smiled at her phone before answering.
Risa:
Excuse me.
Tinupad ko lang ang request ng constituents.
Sherwin:
Constituents?
Risa:
WinRi Nation.
He rubbed a hand over his face.
Sherwin:
Hindi ko alam kung matatawa ako o matatakot.
Risa:
Pareho.
You enabled them.
Sherwin:
For the record...
She waited.
Sherwin:
Hair gel is non-negotiable during work.
She snorted.
Risa:
Akala ko ba open to amendments?
Sherwin:
Only if properly sponsored.
She bit her lip.
Risa:
Ah ganon ba?
Sherwin:
Committee hearing muna.
She was laughing now.
Actually laughing.
In the middle of the Senate parking basement.
Risa:
Fine.
As sponsor...
My compromise proposal is one impeachment session.
No gel.
He read the message twice.
Smiled.
Then deliberately replied—
Sherwin:
Motion denied.
She rolled her eyes.
Risa:
Dictator.
Sherwin:
Practical.
A few seconds passed.
Neither sent anything.
Neither ended the conversation.
Finally—
Sherwin typed again.
Much slower this time.
Sherwin:
Pero...
Three dots.
Gone.
Back again.
Sherwin:
Since mukhang invested na ang buong internet sa buhok ko...
She raised an eyebrow.
Sherwin:
Maybe I owe the sponsor coffee.
Silence.
She looked at the message longer than she'd care to admit.
Risa:
Official caucus ba 'yan?
His reply came almost immediately.
Sherwin:
Off the record.
She smiled.
The kind of smile no camera ever caught.
Risa:
Noted.
Pero isang kondisyon.
Sherwin:
Ano?
Risa:
Hindi ako magco-comment sa buhok mo...
Hindi mo rin ako aasarin tungkol sa tweet.
He chuckled.
Sherwin:
Fair.
She was about to put her phone away when another message arrived.
Sherwin:
Hindi ko pa rin ma-promise yung no gel.
She looked at the message for a moment.
Then smiled.
Not because he'd refused.
Because he'd bothered to negotiate.
Her thumbs hovered over the keyboard before she finally replied.
Risa:
Noted.
But I'd like to manifest my intention to file a Motion for Reconsideration.
Sherwin laughed quietly to himself.
The Senate basement had almost emptied by now. His driver was waiting outside, but for once, he wasn't in a hurry.
He typed back.
Sherwin:
The Chair has already ruled.
Three dots.
Almost immediately.
Risa:
The Rules also allow reconsideration before finality. 😌
He shook his head.
There it was.
An exemplary legislator.
With no legal background according to that one senator.
But with an impeccable record of bills passed.
He should've expected that.
Sherwin:
Unfortunately, the respondent remains unconvinced.
Risa:
Respondent?
You're treating your own hair like it's under oath.
He let out another laugh.
A security officer passing by glanced at him in surprise.
The Senate President...
...was smiling at his phone.
Interesting.
Sherwin ignored him.
Sherwin:
The respondent merely wishes to preserve order and decorum.
Her reply arrived almost instantly.
Risa:
Objection.
Calls for speculation.
He blinked.
Smiled wider.
Sherwin:
Basis?
Risa:
Weekend evidence has already been submitted before the court.
Exhibit A: No hair gel.
Exhibit B: Public satisfaction increased significantly.
He actually laughed out loud.
"...Grabe."
He undid a button of his shirt before answering.
Sherwin:
Counsel is citing social media as evidence?
Risa:
Public sentiment is persuasive authority.
Sherwin:
Not binding.
Risa:
Persuasive enough to trend nationwide.
Touché.
He leaned back against the leather seat of the car but still didn't tell the driver to leave.
Instead—
Sherwin:
The Court cannot render judgment based solely on popularity.
A few moments later—
Risa
True.
Which is why I'd like to request an ocular inspection.
Sherwin frowned.
Then reread it.
Then laughed again.
Sherwin:
Ocular inspection?
Risa:
Of the evidence.
He stared at the screen.
He knew exactly what she meant.
He decided to make her say it.
Sherwin:
Kindly specify the evidence.
Three dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
Longer this time.
Finally—
Risa:
The hair.
Without the gel.
During that coffee owed to the good sponsor
He looked down, smiling to himself.
There was something oddly charming about the fact that this entire conversation had started because thousands of strangers collectively decided his hairstyle was a matter worthy of Senate attention.
He answered carefully.
Sherwin:
That request may require scheduling.
Her heart skipped.
She hated that it did.
She replied anyway.
Risa:
Is the calendar full?
His fingers hovered over the keyboard.
He could keep joking.
End it here.
Say "next recess."
Something safe.
Instead—
Sherwin:
For official engagements...
Fairly full.
He hit send.
Then, before he could overthink it—
Sherwin:
For coffee...
I think I can find an opening.
Silence.
Long enough that he wondered if perhaps he'd finally crossed the line between playful and presumptuous.
Then his phone vibrated.
Risa:
Ah.
So the Court does have jurisdiction over coffee.
He smiled.
Sherwin:
Concurrent jurisdiction.
Subject to mutual availability.
Risa:
In that case…
I move that the parties meet before the next hearing.
He didn't answer immediately.
Not because he didn't know what to say.
Because he wanted to enjoy the moment.
Finally—
Sherwin:
Seconded.
Her smile softened.
That wasn't "I'll think about it."
That wasn't "We'll see."
It wasn't even "Maybe."
It was simply...
Seconded.
She rested her head against the window of the car.
One last message.
Risa:
Motion carried?
His reply came before she even locked her phone.
Sherwin:
Unanimously.
No objections from the Chair.
Then, as if he couldn't resist adding one final amendment—
Sherwin:
As for the hair gel...
The Court reserves judgment until after coffee.
Risa laughed, shaking her head.
She slipped her phone into her bag, still smiling.
"Negotiator talaga," she murmured to herself.
Across the city, Sherwin finally set his own phone down.
The driver caught his expression in the rearview mirror.
"Good mood ka ngayon, sir."
Sherwin looked out the window, the lights of Manila sliding past.
After a moment, he answered with the faintest smile.
"May pending motion lang."
He never mentioned that, for the first time in a very long while, it was one he was genuinely hoping would pass.
—end—