"Anything can happen..."
Posted on Saturday, 9 August 2014
“Anything
can happen…”
By Apolinario Villalobos
There is an adage about the pen’s being
sharper than sword which could just be true, as proved by the past revolutions,
the fervor for which was fired by emotional poems and written rhetoric against
the oppressors. Words written or spoken can either put across a direct message
or leave readers or listeners hanging in the air.
In Philippine politics, words are mumbled
to test the perception of the Filipinos. Past presidents who later, were judged
to be not what the Filipinos expected them to be – righteous, clean, and just, invoked
the Providence in staking their selfish interest to be at the helm of the
country, but regrets for having installed them were late in coming, as damages
have been done. From the day they were happily chosen by the trusting Filipinos
to their last day of servitude, many things did happen…things that brought
forth their real color, heavily tinted with bias, insensitivity, and
selfishness.
The “anything can happen…” was minced with
a smile by the president’s spokesperson, Lacierda. Although, he seemed to have
said it with reference to the popularity of Binay who this early expressed his
desire to become president, the sensitive Filipino can feel that he is
referring to the “popular clamor” for another term for Pnoy, that has gone
viral in the social media, via the facebook. Observers cannot help but perceive
these as meticulous political orchestration.
The
Filipinos can clearly discern the political design: from the impeachment of the
then, Supreme Court Chief Justice Corona, which was supposedly funded by DAP;
to the alleged buying of influence of lawmakers still with the use of DAP; to
the haphazard implementation of “projects”, hence, half-finished, just so they
can be listed as accomplishments, and the budgets of which confiscated in view
of the supposedly slow-footedness of their “implementation”, and still
supposedly in line with the President’s warning, “use it (budget) or lose it”
that he mentioned during the SONA; to the President’s insistence about the
constitutionality of the DAP, contrary to
the findings of the Supreme Court; to the meeting with the World Bank
representatives who declared that the country has a healthy economy, thereby,
with good credit standing, a few days before the SONA; to the President’s
special mention of the World Bank’s pronouncement about the healthy economy of
the country, in his SONA; to the sudden deluge of clamor via facebook for Pnoy
to extend his presidency; to the “hanging” of pertinent actions on important
issues, some of which are about the freedom of information, Bangsamoro, wages
of teachers, etc.; to the President’s ambivalent statements between listening
to his “bosses” and supposedly his insisting of his non-interest for the
extension of his term which would necessitate a charter change; and now the
final, wait and see stance with the use of three words “anything can happen…”
by no other than one of his alter egos, Lacierda.
What if Malacaῆan will finally
tell the Filipinos, …sorry, but check what the bosses say in their facebooks…Pnoy
must really run again…so the Constitution must be ratified, to amend the provision
on the president’s term? What is apprehensive is the suggestion of a supporter
in Congress to include the term extension issue to what is being discussed
about the “loosening” of trade and industrial policies, to encourage more
foreign investment in the country.
Obviously, Pnoy has the support of Congress
and, although, majority of the senators have been silent on the issue, their
careful statements are tweeted indirectly with a tone favorable to him. And,
with the latest rumor about the move to impeach the Chief Justice, the wind of
change seems to be gaining strength.
What is obvious is Pnoy’s insistence in
mentioning projects that for him are successful every time he delivers
speeches, the latest of which is the “one is to one” distribution of service
arms for the police force but has been negated by findings. Then there’s the
Yolanda disaster program, that he always mentions to have been successful, but
which even the victims, themselves, negate, for how can it be successful when
the rehabilitation program prepared by Ping Lacson has been submitted almost
one year after the disaster? All his statements about immediate relief for
victims have been negated not only by the victims but by the local and
international NGOs that give succor to the victims. All the insistence about
his “success” that he always mention in his speeches must have a reason….with a
reminder, yet, that these should be continued for the sake of the welfare of
Filipinos. If all political opponents, such as Binay, Cayetano, even Erap
Estrada, are now being practically shot at, by exposing their anomalies, who will
be left without “taint”? Your guess is
as good as mine.
Indeed, anything can happen between now and
2016 election…it’s a long way to go.
Even Senate President Drillon, himself, mentioned during one of his
interviews that in politics, two weeks is long enough. How much more, then, for
the almost two years? Coats can be turned and colors can be changed many
times…while the hungry Filipinos gawk at the political circus, helplessly, with
the greedy officials giving not a bit of damn.
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