Trillanes' feat should
worry authorities

The reaction of the country's voters to 1st Lt. Antonio Trillanes should serve as a warning signal to our national leaders that they better shape up because our people have about given up on their prospects of a brighter future.

I was shocked at what a legal luminary called as an imprimatur to an act of treason by one who took up arms against the government.

Yes, the other side to that was precisely the public stressing that it was not averse to what Trillanes and company -- members of the Oakwood Mutiny -- did to emphasize their protest against the entrenched corruption systems.

The problem is that there are other spin masters who try to downgrade the implication of the voters turning out for Trillanes as just a gesture that stemmed from their impressions from the dramatic TV shots of the indictee.

Normally, the public do not root for one whom they consider as having done something wrong. Especially one who is believed to have committed an act of disloyalty to the central government. But the approval of Trillanes - who got into the senatorial race with the aces loaded up against him -- is really worrisome.

I hope that the signal from the voters and the country's population does not get shunted aside. Sweeping it under the rug could later explode right on our faces.

It may jar leaders and supporters of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, but it must be admitted that there is a growing sense among our political leaders that she has become a lame duck president post this election.

That means both constitutionally and genealogically. The constitution bars her from running again for reelection. And the chances of tinkering with the basic charter to suit her aspirations must also ram against the reality that she is not growing any younger and may soon weaken physically. It has already happened to First Gentleman Mike Arroyo. And GMA, herself, has displayed repeatedly ailments that forced her to go to bed, albeit temporarily. Still, all those episodes only point to the gradual weakening of her defenses.

That is why she must devote more time and concentrate more effort to control her underlings who may try to put one over her in running the government, especially in their own turfs.

The danger here is that each one wants to be sure that his future is assured. That means, there will be a scramble for realignment since most of her subalterns will try to link up with the potential powers that be after her departure.

That's always the danger that confronts a lame duck President. The disappointing thing is when one discovers that even the most loyal and dependable satraps are compelled to protect their future by either seeking new alignments or feathering their nests.

No President had a better grasp of this reality than the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos. When he found himself reduced to almost immobility by Lupus, Marcos found himself besieged by what he later called "mutineers."

Who betrayed him later? His own most loyal followers and allies. Including his own cousin, Fidel V. Ramos.

I hope that lesson will not be lost on GMA. She should make sure that authority does not slip from her fingers. I agree with Alex Espino that Newks Puentevella should not fire up the hopes of his followers by invoking an unofficial count from the election returns of the Liberal Party. The best thing to do is just to wait for the outcome of the results of the board of canvass which will come up with the official results.

***

One does not gloat over Manny Pacquiao's having been knocked out early by Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio South Cotabato's first district.

The thing to ask is how come the Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos did not thumb down Pacquiao's run for election in that area of the country.

I think most of you would remember the reaction of Abalos upon mention of the reported plan by Pacquiao to go back to General Santos to run for a local election.

Abalos, then, categorically stated that Pacquiao will not be eligible to run for public office, for lack of the required residency for an elective official.

"Yes, he could vote. But not get elected," was the categorical statement by Abalos.

Yet, never was there a peep from Abalos about it later. That's another puzzle about Abalos and his claim that he wants to leave a legacy when he leaves the Comelec.

He has made shambles of the Philippine political system. Abalos deserves to be buried alive for having mismanaged the Comelec.

***

Remember? While hardly anybody had mentioned it, I was among the first to write about the fact that Speaker Jose de Venecia was going to have a tough fight in his hand with former Dagupan City Mayor Benjie Lim. Well, it finally happened.

And, despite his crowing that he had won, De Venecia really had to campaign hard for the first time to register a convincing victory.

In short, it is never right to believe that one is safe or secure. Anything can happen to the proud and the arrogant.

***

It is about time that barangay chairmen should mobilize their purok heads to convince local residents to clean up their neighborhood of the political posters and streamers that mar the sights of the city and the subdivisions.

No one, I have noted, has tried during the past few days to clean up the mess that politicians and their political leaders have put up.*

back to top