Just Right
By Cyril Regalado

Not twice But thrice

Last December, 2002, President Arroyo declared that she will not run for President in the 2004 elections. At that time, her hold to power was a little tenuous. Several months before that, President Estrada was ousted from office by EDSA II. However, Erap forces almost succeeded in their counter-offensive against Malacañang. A year later, followers of GMA, launched a campaign to convince her to reconsider her decision and run for president. Thus, in a grand rally resplendent with shibboleths a' la Marcos, Mrs Arroyo graciously obliged after being moved by the plea of the masses. The rest is History.

Presidential elections always lead to allegations of cheating. But not since Marcos was credited with the miracle of empowering the dead and the birds to vote for him, do we have a charge of electoral fraud that was so close to being proven (or disproved?). In the end, the Congressmen saw to it that this will not happen.

Charges and countercharges reported in the media have a tendency to cancel each other out. The propaganda overload can never settle an issue of truth. Our only chance to find out whether President Arroyo cheated or not was the impeachment case that never materialized. I guess we have no other choice but to accept and be content with her apology. Even the President must have been a little disappointed with the outcome because she dearly wanted to have a forum where she can prove her innocence. She even advised her accusers to resort to the constitutional process of impeachment. So I guess this is the second time her supporters compromised her principles; although my fear is, they will surpass the “not once but twice” diagnosis of Susan Roces.

During her State of the Nation Address, Mrs Arroyo, paraphrased Dickens and told of a story of two (2) Philippines. One was a country that has been badly damaged by unscrupulous politics, which she, after having been caught on tape patronizing this archetype, openly declared to abrogate by means of a charter change as soon as possible. I personally thought that she was sending a subliminal message that “hey, there's really no need to evict me from office, my term will be cut short by the Cha Cha anyway.”

But things have changed. The death of the impeachment proceedings has strengthened the Malacañang redoubt. The threat against the Presidency has been weakened and tamed and the President is now secure. So, do we still need the Charter Change?