Revotelution

JGL Eye

GMA Game: “Filipinos Love Me, They Love Me Not”

By Joseph G. Lariosa

CHICAGO, Illinois (JGLi) – Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is undoubtedly going down on record as the most-traveled Philippine president.

She has rendered ambassadors she appointed impotent as she turned them into wallflowers in her visit to their missions.

As a result of her wanderlust, Mrs. Arroyo must have adopted or learned cultures and traditions from other lands. And one of the folkways that she must have learned is the game of French origin where she speaks the phrase, “the Filipino people love me” and “they love me not,” as she picks one petal off a flower for each phrase.

The phrase she speaks on picking off the last petal supposedly represents the truth between the object of their affection loving her or not.

I could not think of a similar Filipino homespun game, except the uncertain fate during a ligawan (courtship) where the object is to win the heart of the girl. But in her case, Mrs. Arroyo is the man regaining the unrequited love of the Filipino people.

But at this stage of her administration, her relationship with the Filipino people has gone past the courtship stage because the Filipino people were supposed to have already professed their love to her when they elected her president in 2004.

CHEATING CALL

But by Mrs. Arroyo’s past acts, her relationship with the Filipino people is one of a forced or shotgun marriage following the revelation of the “Hello Garci” tapes. Mrs. Arroyo apologized for placing that cheating call heard around the world.

Unfortunately for Mrs. Arroyo, she has no more chance to redeem herself as she is barred by the Philippine Constitution from running for re-election.

And the silver lining for her vindication is the revision of the Constitution from presidential to parliamentary form. But even before the charter change (cha cha) was hatched, Mrs. Arroyo is cocksure that she is going to keep her power by running in her Pampanga district as a member of the Lower House of the Philippine Congress and become Prime Minister under a new Constitution.

Will someone please remind Mrs. Arroyo that her home district could turn into her own albatross? All she needs is a single scandal associated to her that could spell her defeat! And to think that her closet is brimming at the seams with skeletons, I wonder why her supporters would not wake her up from her bad dream?

GO THE WAY OF GORE, McGOVERN

Don’t her handlers know that both presidential candidates Al Gore and George McGovern failed to win their home states of Tennessee and South Dakata, respectively, that ultimately cost them the presidency?

Thanks to a story that tied Gore to alleged criminal figures in Wilson County, Tennessee, next door to Gore’s home county. A series of investigative stories detailing Gore’s involvement in and interference with criminal investigations linked to his uncle, retired judge Whit LaFon and top campaign fundraisers like Clark Jones of Savannah, Tennessee all but spelled Gore’s defeat.

However, if Mrs. Arroyo thinks that she has nothing to hide from the people of her Pampanga district, then, she can dream on.

If not, she can start packing her bag and start counting her blessings – her millions of dollars and securities stashed in New York and other banks. It will probably take her another six or more years to count all of them.

That is, if she can count them. Trouble is, if the anti-money laundering regulators will count them for her, then, she could go the way of my friend, former President Joseph Estrada, who was convicted and jailed for plunder.

NO TIME FOR CHA CHA

And this is the very scenario that Mrs. Arroyo is trying hard to avoid.

If the Philippine Congress comes up short with its creepy plan to change the Constitution by turning itself into a constituent assembly (Con Ass) because Lower House is running out of time, Mrs. Arroyo may still desperately resort to other means to extend her term. What those means are, only Mrs. Arroyo knows. 

But she should be wary with what happened last month to President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras, who was ousted by his own military, the Courts and Congress when he tried to hold a referendum to extend his term.

Otherwise, Mrs. Arroyo can always turn to her travel agent and ask for an inventory of the countries she had been to. Then, she can choose the country that has no extradition treaty with the Philippines and the most hospitable for her as her country of exile.

Her most logical option, of course, is to support the winning presidential candidate in next year’s election. Her only problem is that the winning candidate, who suddenly grows a big ego, may become independent-minded and may turn against her.

HONORABLE OPTION

But if all else fail, she can take the most honorable exit among her options – she can take the path of former South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun, who leaped to his death amid investigation into bribery scandal that tarnished his reputation.

Like Mr. Roh, Mrs. Arroyo is also 62 years old. He left a suicide note: "I am in debt to too many people. Too many people have suffered because of me. And I cannot imagine the suffering they will go through in the future."

If Mrs. Arroyo looks up a bright future, she can now announce that she has had enough of politics and she wants to give others a chance to lead the country.