A marriage made in purgatory - SKETCHES by Ana Marie Pamintuan

This is what I call the partnership between President Erap, who’s currently stewing in purgatory, and his new executive secretary, Edgardo Angara – if partnership is what it is.

I can only wish Angara good luck. I will always remember that he did well as president of the University of the Philippines when I was still a student. Now, among his myriad duties as "little president" is to streamline operations in the executive branch. The last time President Erap made an effort to put order in affairs at Malacañang was when he "imported" Aprodicio Laquian from Canada last year. You remember what happened to the guy who tattled that he served as the "designated driver" when everyone else was drunk at 4 a.m. in the country’s seat of power.

Is taking on the role of "designated driver" part of Angara’s new job description? If President Erap reeks of whisky (okay, red wine), will he get a reprimand from his executive secretary? Will the President be required to keep regular working hours?

I ask these questions because if Ronaldo Zamora, one of the President’s closest friends, could not whip Joseph Estrada into presidential shape in two and a half years, how can Angara, who does not belong to Erap’s inner circle?

Will Angara one day find himself on the receiving end of a presidential dressing down, with his boss (better keep in mind who’s the boss here) snapping, "Mag-presidente ka muna (You should be president first)!"

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Naturally, Angara is still brimming with optimism at this time. So far the President has followed the recommendation of Angara’s party, the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, to craft a better policy on gambling. Angara has brought in his own people, with a few more to come as the Cabinet shakeup continues. There’s also a code being fine-tuned that will govern the conduct of relatives of the president, vice president and Cabinet members. And Angara did lay down the terms of his employment before accepting the job – terms that give him near-carte blanche to run the affairs of government.

But how long will the good times last? Will the families, cronies, drinking buddies and old political allies of the President just sit back and let Angara’s new team or pangkat run them over? How long before one or two of the President’s women, used to having their way, cry "ouch!" and start whispering in his ear that Angara is bad for Erap’s health? What about Angara’s nemesis, outgoing Ambassador to the US Ernesto Maceda, who’s still around? What if the families’ feng shui expert says Angara will bring a plague on all their houses? And what about peace and order? Will Angara have a say in defense and law enforcement?

One of Zamora’s parting shots was that the President had disbanded his so-called midnight Cabinet. Maybe they no longer meet past midnight to keep the President drunken company, but the buzz is that some of them are still very much around, providing comfort to their friend in his period of acute misery.

Angara said one of the President’s strengths is that he knows his weaknesses, his limitations, and knows how to delegate authority. What Angara is saying is that the President knows his new executive secretary can do a better job of running the affairs of government. How long before the President perceives a put-down in that statement?

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But since it’s the start of 2001, with the new Lunar year to start as well in two weeks, I’ll go along with Angara’s line that his entry heralds a "new beginning" for the administration. It’s certainly a new, auspicious beginning for him.

He brings with him the good will of some people who are rabidly anti-Erap. Can he give this President a new look? Or will his association with the President, a.k.a. Jose Velarde (according to Clarissa Ocampo), bring him down?

At this point the President is still looking contrite and doing penance in purgatory. He’s likely to cling tightly to Angara for guidance in his hour of need. But if the President is acquitted, as even some anti-Erap quarters are starting to believe, will he snatch the reins of government back from Angara?

For now, I wish Angara all the luck.

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BUZZ: Ambassador Ernesto Maceda, upon learning that Ramon "Eki" Cardenas was appointed presidential executive assistant yesterday, was overheard quipping, "Buti pa siya, naareglo na. Ako, hindi pa!"