Travesty

Ending the speculations which had been rife seen last year, Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo confirmed the apprehensions of many that she is not leaving the corridors of power just yet. Arroyo, eschewing delicadeza (an alien concept to her, it seems), has filed a bid for the congressional seat of Pampanga's second district.

Ever the opportunist, Mrs. Arroyo has even staged "the clamor" for her candidacy by mayors of the said congressional district in order to lend a semblance of legitimacy to her ploy to stay in power. While it leaves little to doubt that she would win, Mrs. Arroyo's congressional bid is yet another travesty of our democratic institutions.

The constitutional provision on term limits was intended to prevent the perpetuation of any elected official's stay in power. And although the law is silent about its application to Arroyo's specific case (a silence which has engendered debate as to the lawfulness of her candidacy), the spirit in which it was framed clearly prohibits her possible foray into Congress. In fact, it is precisely because of her current position (which arguably was illegally assumed) as president that has made her decision to run as congressional representative all the more violative of the intent behind the term limit provision.

Alas, as was pointed above and even numerous times, delicadeza has never been a strong suit of Mrs. Arroyo. From the time of her candidacy as senator, until her current one, Mrs. Arroyo has been ruthless and brazen in the pursuit of power. A characteristic which, if it does not equal that of the dictator Marcos, surpasses it.

Sadly and frighteningly, only two things had been able to "persuade" Mrs. Arroyo from desisting from perpetrating a few irregularities (the ZTE scam, for instance). These are the threat of violence and negative international public opinion. When faced with the possibility of a widespread insurrection against her rule, Mrs. Arroyo desists. Similarly, when confronted with the prospects of being viewed by the international political community as effecting illegal  policies, she relents. Beyond these, she had been brazen in consolidating her hold on power even as one scam over the other had erupted during her watch.

The end is near for Mrs. Arroyo's time as president. Let us ensure that she will not extend her access to the highest power in the land by being vigilant in opposing any charter change that would install her as prime minister.