The lady's not for quitting

Former President Ramos and all those groups and members of the opposition may call and call for the resignation of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, but they could lose their voices before the lady will even think of leaving Malacañang. Perhaps she believes that it was written in the stars that she would return to the palace where she had grown up as the little princess, and the apple of her Daddy's eye. That daddy being the President then, must also have passed on to his younger daughter the passion for service, and for power.

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Day by day, we are getting subtle messages that Mrs. Arroyo and her family are in Malacañang to stay - at least until 2010, the end of her term under the Constitution. Reports from media people covering the office have disclosed that the first gentleman, after having served the "exile" he had imposed upon himself, and from which he could get a furlough anytime he pleased, has now moved into the palace, not only physically, as the spouse of the incumbent, but also officially, with the setting up of his own office there.

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My spies say that the FG has appropriated the former suite of office used by spokesperson cum secretary Ignacio Bunye, and who is Bunye to complain? He may be due for a kick upstairs himself, after his laudable performances in defense of his mistress. Another not-so-subtle message comes from the way the romps of the presidential grandchildren in the palace park are being focused on. I don't think those photos and footages would have been published if the Grandma didn't want to. In other words, as the song went, this is our territory, and here were intend to stay.

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A different message was sent by the photo of the presidential granddaughter being led around the grounds in a pony, guarded by, at least, three people. The unsmiling little princess must have reminded the old guards in the palace of the day when the other little princess, now the queen, used to have the run of the palace, too, under the keen eye of her stern mommy. I'm sure other people get the subliminal messages from all those media releases, too.

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So why does former President Fidel Ramos keep on harping on the shortening of the lady's term? He must have actually believed that she was listening to him when, during her most perilous moments, he proposed a shift in the form of government, that would be preceded by the cutting of her term. And, frankly, I, too, believed that that was what she was going to do, when she focused on the cha-cha during her latest State of the Nation Address. As it is turning out now, that was only meant to placate the baying wolves at her door, but today, she doesn't think she has to do so anymore.

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No, she has no intention at all to do what they are asking, she has her own plans and agenda all laid out. I don't think the recent findings of the Social Weather Station survey that 54 percent of the Filipino people want her to cut short her term will convince her. The survey also showed that only 20 percent want her to stay on, and those may include her Malacañang staff, her fellow Pampangueños, and the majority in the House. Yesterday, her executive secretary, former general Eduardo Ermita, still looking as harassed as ever, said on TV that his boss is staying because she has a "mandate". The trouble is that it is the legitimacy of that alleged mandate that her detractors are questioning. They do not believe that she has such a mandate, and the next round of tape-playing being sponsored by former general Rodolfo Biazon, now a senator, is said to confirm as well as reinforce, all the perceptions of the citizenry after hearing those "Hello Garci" tapes.

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Biazon also has other axes to grind, because of the new appointments and promotions in the military which he called "payback" posts. And so we are seeing again a shuffling of officers, with those who are next to retire being given the chance to head the office, and to fatten his retirement pay some more. Note that most of those named to the most important and most prestigious positions are those who are retiring soon.

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Speaking of retirement, I hear that newly retired Chief Justice Hilario Davide is being eyed to be the country's representative to the United Nations. That is something very unique in our country - we do not let our retirees rest, we recycle them over and over, while younger officials cool their heels.*

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