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THE civil-society groups that are demanding President Arroyo’s
resignation are waging a lost cause. Unhappy colonels who wish to
unseat her through a coup are welcome to try. Opposition lawmakers
wishing to impeach the chief executive must wait for another year.
But the citizens who respect the Constitution and are looking
forward to the 2010 elections to articulate their unhappiness or
satisfaction deserve attention.
Experience has shown the world that this
President is a woman of strong spirit and will. She will not
resign; she will serve her term. There is no mistaking she has more
balls than her predecessor who caved in quickly to opposition
demands and to disloyal generals. She believes in her mandate
and is protective of her legacy.
Since resignation is not an option, the junior
officers are again calling for a coup. They have tried at least ten
times since the Corazon Aquino years and have failed. That says a
lot about military competence, leadership and intelligence. But as
persistent as the plotters seem to appear, so is the penchant of the
government to blow up coup rumors and of the media to publicize
gossip. It’s a vicious cycle.
A noted psychologist says Filipinos are
suffering from an “Edsa fatigue.” Even if the people revolts are
few, the enormous publicity given to rumors, including coup talks,
is enervating. Besides Edsa fatigue, the thing called Lessons
Learned weighs heavily on the public mind. The lesson is that new
governments replacing corrupt ones easily give rise to new
dishonesty. Graft seems to be written permanently on the national
landscape.
The other side is the new milestone rising on
the horizon. Thirty months of successive economic growth has
enlivened business and entrepreneurship. The economy’s performance
in 2007 was the best in 31 years. Employment has risen. The peso is
at its strongest. Our foreign policy works well at many
levels. There are high hopes and determined efforts for ending the
Moro secessionism in southern Mindanao. Global citizenship has been
conferred on Filipino managers and workers for their skills,
professionalism and industry.
We ought not to stop this momentum for political
and self-serving reasons. We have built a strong foundation that
must not crumble over a controversial contract that has been
abandoned or the Senate inquiry into it. A political upheaval will
hurt the economy, return us to the starting line, divide the nation
and repel much of the world.
The way to fight corruption is to arrest,
prosecute and jail the dishonest in public and private life. You
have to strike fear into the wrongdoers’ hearts by keeping the
threat of arrest, prosecution and punishment poised on their heads.
But how many bureaucratic thieves has the government punished? How
many tax cheats have faced the law? The government record on
fighting graft, crime and general lawlessness is spotty.
Let us focus on strengthening our democratic
institutions. The right to information, speech and of the media is
in peril in the hands of an overzealous Justice department and the
ministry of local governments. We are taking precious time in
improving the system of free and honest elections. The public
policy on immigration, citizenship and permanent residence is too
important in the national life to entrust to a permissive bureau on
immigration. Let us by all means liberate the civil service system
from the politicians.
The next presidential election is only two years
away. Filipinos will have a chance to elect a new president and new
set of national and local leaders. They may choose to reelect the
ruling coalition or vote for a new leadership. They may vote for
continuity or change. Free elections—not people power or a
putsch—are the modern and democratic way of choosing or rejecting
Presidents and other public servants.
Noli leads for now
VICE-President Noli de Castro is the choice of
30 percent of the respondents surveyed three months ago by the
Social Weather Station for the presidential race in 2010.
The poll asked the respondents to give three
names they would like to succeed President Arroyo. The top four
choices included Senate President Manny Villar (who received 27
percent), Sen. Loren Legarda (23 percent) and Sen. Mar Roxas (20
percent).
VP de Castro enjoys incumbency and celebrity for
his association with the media. He takes credit for the
government’s affordable housing program and for transferring
thousands of squatter families living along the rail tracks to new,
livable places. He has restored safety, order and civility on the
railways.
Villar is a self-made millionaire and a
cheerleader for small business. Legarda is identified with gender
issues and environmental causes. Roxas, the modern economist, takes
sides with the consumers and the general public on policy issues.
Politics is dynamic and the next survey could
show different results as new challenges, problems and issues
confront the nation and the presidential hopefuls. The next poll
should ask the respondents on questions of experience, integrity and
readiness for the job of president. The next chief executive must
pass the test of honesty, based on public and personal record.
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