There are moments in a nation’s history when seemingly unrelated events begin moving toward the same point. Political rivals who despise each other suddenly find themselves attacking the same government. Economic pressures begin piling up on top of political grievances. Public trust erodes while institutions struggle to maintain authority. What appears at first to be a series of isolated developments gradually reveals itself as a single, larger crisis.

A crisis has once again engulfed the Philippine Senate. The declaration of vacancies in all leadership positions and the installation of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian...