Deflecting focus from Erap’s sins - GOTCHA by Jarius Bondoc

They’re throwing everything at Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Senators Frank Drilon and Juan Ponce Enrile jeer that it was downright opportunistic of her to resign from the Cabinet just because of Jueteng-gate. Yet only months ago, their LAMP partymates were taunting her to leave and join the opposition where she belongs. Senator Kit Tatad and Economic Planning Secretary Felipe Medalla decry her call for Joseph Estrada’s resignation as the only plug to economic decline. Yet in the same breath, Medalla admits that her call did awaken more investors to take a closer look at Estrada’s paltry economic leadership, and Tatad wants her to share power as economic czarina. Senator Miriam Santiago is trying to link her to jueteng lord Bong Pineda, yet can’t make it stick beyond showing they hail from the same big town. Malacañang propagandists are sowing agitation for her to resign because she’s untested as a leader, but they gloss over the fact that she was trade undersecretary and social welfare secretary in recent past. Why, Estrada even guffaws at her diminutive size, as if huge girth lends intellectual aptitude.

Their attacks betray their innermost fear. Rising consumer prices and unemployment, coupled with sinking peso value and tax collections, are making it inevitable for Estrada to step down. When he does, Arroyo not only becomes President, but their LAMP partymates in Congress and local positions will also jump onto her bandwagon to the 2001 election.

More than that, Arroyo will get to appoint her vice presidential successor – a power that will upset the happy rule that Enrile, Santiago and Tatad enjoy after proclaiming Estrada’s immorality during the 1998 presidential campaign, then capitulating to him when he won. It could even topple Drilon as Senate President. And Medalla will have to go as a lousy economic planner.

The Constitution states in Article 7 (Executive Branch), Section 9: "Whenever there is a vacancy in the Office of the Vice President during the term for which he was elected, the President (Note: in this case, Arroyo, since she ascends upon Estrada’s departure) shall nominate a Vice President from among the Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, who shall assume office upon confirmation of all the Members of both Houses of the Congress, voting separately."

Deliberate focus on Arroyo’s supposed little faults serves to distract public attention from Estrada’s big sins as spelled out in the impeachment case. The accusations do make him look like a serial criminal:

(1) taking P445 million in jueteng payola;

(2) stealing P130 million in tobacco taxes;

(3) direct participation in real estate business through family firms;

(4) false disclosure of personal wealth;

(5) obstructing investigations of a pal’s stock market fraud;

(6) appointing relatives and friends to government positions, then covering up their misdeeds;

(7) preoccupation with personal business deals than with his pledge to uplift the poor;

(8) issuing P100 million from charity sweepstakes to a foundation housed in his own address;

(9) illegally distributing smuggled luxury vans to Cabinet men; and

(10) breaking Supreme Court ruling by giving multiple positions to six Palace favorites.

Then, there’s the subsequent exposé on his many mistresses’ many mansions, which Estrada claims is already in the impeachment case – it’s not – and will thus answer "in due time in Congress."

An outraged public doubts if that time will ever come in the House. The justice committee that must speedily evaluate the case is preoccupied more with procedural than substantive matters, with the chairmanship than with the case itself. Perception is that dominant LAMP congressmen plan to delay the proceedings until the case lapses due to technicality, that is, lack of material time. And as they drag the case, the topic they wish the public to ponder over is Arroyo, not Estrada.

But the deflection strategy could backfire on Estrada. As the public scrutinizes her, Arroyo just might come up with a viable economic recovery plan, along with a program to restore morality in government, under a national unification program. Submitted to the public, these will highlight all the more Estrada’s inability and loss of moral ascendancy to continue in office. In the process, Arroyo can raise an army of economic and political supporters from the few good men she has at present. With a President wounded mortally from lost confidence, the position of Vice President has changed from being a spare tire to the new center of power and political balance.

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INTERACTION. Juan Pablo Fajardo, San Juan: You call Enrile’s snap election, Tatad’s power sharing, Santiago’s Senate antics "distractions" to Erap’s decision to resign (Gotcha, 28 Oct. 2000). I look at them as desperate efforts to stay in power. But, yes, they do distract him from the inevitable.

Oscar S. Labrador, edsamail: Realtors spend millions to buy lots and build houses to lease out (Gotcha, 25 Oct. 2000). I wish I had Erap’s pals.

Nilo Orocio, aol.com: By building mansions for his mistresses, he’s only continuing Marcos’s Pag-IBIG housing program.

R.C. Tee, compass.com: Erap is not afraid of charges against him because his conscience is clean. My idol will answer them all in Congress (Gotcha, 23 Oct. 2000). I wish he’d tell LAMP partymates to speed up the impeachment, he-he-he.

Nora Tinio, kolinphil.com: Although charges against him have yet to be proven, the people have lost trust in him. The sensible option is to resign.

Joey Legarda, Bangkal, Makati: Once he resigns, the peso will stop its free fall, confidence will return (Gotcha, 21 Oct. 2000). It will not solve all our problems, but a major one will be eliminated. Timmy Alvendia, nwave.net: Even if he wins a snap election, investor confidence will not return because he is the problem.

Renato V. de Leon, edsamail: There’s a Web campaign to get one million signatures asking Erap to resign. The site is www.eLagda.com.

Thank you, Jay Entruda, G. Reyes, Raffy Oriel, William Tang, E.C. Ibazeta, Johnny Sy, Jun Magno, Kit Maza, Helen Limjoco, Jacob Solano, Manolo Montes, Thoom Artajos, Archie Tacla, Joey Catama, Gino Chan, Santi Santander, George Pilapil, Suzette Fule-Yao, Danny Regala Jr., Dr. Mark Polo, Joven Honrado, Leonides Godito, Angelo Gabriel, Paula Cruz, Alex Sinson, Chito Santos, Elbert Herrera, Pia Timbol, Ferdie Sibal, Fernando Soltero, Dexter Meniola, Amor Sulit-McCabe.

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