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Monday, July 25, 2005
Editorial: GMA's 15 minutes
AGAIN we are treated to the annual State of the Nation Address (Sona) to be delivered by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today in full view of the Filipino people either at home or live there in Manila.
The President declared a national holiday in Manila in anticipation of reports that students and employees would walk out to join the growing numbers of opposition and militant groups bent on ousting her from the Presidency.
But the opposition remains unperturbed and is linking with other groups for their own Sona version that was kicked off with Sen. Panfilo Lacson's Tsona or True State of the Nation Address.
Here in Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental the political opposition has the Transport Federation of Cagayan de Oro (Trafeco) mounting a transport strike or pahulay (rest) as part of their support for the Gloria Arroyo ouster campaign.
Whether they're riding on the crest of the popular anti-Gloria campaign is something to be debated about between them and the Solidarity Transport Alliance of Region 10 (Starex) until the last smoke of fuel comes out of their tailpipes.
Nevertheless today's mass protests goes beyond the usual complaints about the rising fuel prices, the inutility of government to repeal the oil deregulation law and the constant politicking in Congress to that of the legitimacy of Mrs. Arroyo's presidency.
And President Arroyo would be pressed to address the Gloria-gate issue, the impeachment proceedings and the Charter change campaign in her message before a divided and even hostile Congress.
This maybe her swan song or Sona and it is expected to be loaded. For all we know she may declare a state of emergency and suspend the writ of habeas corpus. Arroyo may submit her resignation and what else.
Expect the President to fully maximize at least an hour's worth of speech with superlatives and motherhood statements and what have you in order to convince the Filipino people to keep their faith in her.
But she would be facing a Congress that sees no other peaceful alternative other than impeachment to settle the crisis of credibility and legitimacy once and for all. And so Arroyo needs to make good on her sales pitch for the country.
Just hoping that the President won't drag this affair into a protracted conflict that would devastate the country's economy. The Sona is her own 15 minutes to win over the Filipino people.
(July 25, 2005 issue)
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