‘One For You, One For Me’, That’s How They View Cory And FVR Dividing The Appointees - BY THE WAY by Max V. Soli

SINGAPORE – Will the real Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo please stand up and become President? That seems to be the question being asked here in Singapore – so don’t blame me for being the spoilsport who rains on La Gloria’s parade.

Indeed, from the minute I got here yesterday and started talking to people, I was badgered with questions about who was really running the new GMA administration – Tita Cory Aquino or Fidel "Tabako" Ramos? Even His Usual Turbulence Jaime Cardinal Sin, although President Macapagal-Arroyo does bob her head to him so visibly in worshipful respect (just watch TV), doesn’t seem to be getting his share of the pie. But abangan. Holy Mother Church won’t be left out for long.

It wasn’t just verbal sarcasm I’ve been taking. The influential English-language daily, The Straits Times (Wednesday, January 24), ran an eight-column banner across page 6, the Southeast Asia section, entitled: "RAMOS: One for You, One for Me: AQUINO: One for Me, One for You." The subhead of the article in big bold type read: "Arroyo says she makes her own decisions, but the Cabinet appointments clearly show the influence of former Presidents on her."

I guess it figures in the minds of Singaporeans: Cory and FVR gave People Power II to GMA and boosted her to the Presidency, so they’re allegedly getting their power back. To be truthful, even if the carping is being done here – where they have their own ideas about what "democracy" means – I’m also somewhat uncomfortable about the pattern of the appointments President GMA has been making. Is it only a coincidence that almost ALL of them are "rehires" and "retreads" from the old Cory and Ramos administrations? In fact, even some of the crooks from those two dispensations are already back in Gloria – I mean, glory.

Perhaps with Erap still sulking in his tent in Polk and muttering about trying to make a "comeback", this is not the strategic moment to weaken the new President’s self-confidence, shining reputation, and resolve, by inserting the "Devil’s-advocate" thought that she may be taking dictation out of sheer utang na loob or "reverence" from Eddie Ramos or St. Cory, but it’s essential for a leader who hopes to lead us out of the wilderness through firmness and fortitude to shine like a Pillar of Flame guiding her Chosen People through the darkness towards to the light, and not a pale reflection of somebody else’s radiance and guidance.

She has to have men and women of her own choice, who owe their allegiance exclusively to her, to God and to the people, not necessarily in that order of preference (but those three loyalties are essential), not officials of divided loyalty.

Let’s examine all of the Cabineteers, from Executive Secretary (Sorry, Rene) all the way down to the new Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner, former Ramos-time BIR Deputy Commissioner, Balik-designated this time as the Top Honcho in the revenue service, admittedly competent Rene G. Bañez, or the "new" Tourism Secretary, Dick the Gordon who can now, returning to pomp and power, wreak his vengeance on Tong the Payumo, to some "generals" who were bounced (and one even jailed) but are now endowed with lightning bolts and can recover their past swagger. Practically, all of them are "returnees" restored to prominence after being downgraded Erap-time from the high echelons of the Tabako brigade and the Yellow Task Forces.

Sus! Even the decrepit Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) – which never managed to send one single Marcos crony or crook to jail, much less anybody in Macoy’s family or in-law "suspects", nor recover the lost loot – has suddenly bestirred itself back to life and is eagerly awaiting President GMA’s command to go after the deposed Estrada, the deposed (and running) cronies, and a fresh set of villains.

Where can we find anybody who owes fealty to the fledging President – somebody of her personal trust? We can’t even accuse her, to date, of Deep Selection, but merely of Old Selection.

But hope springs eternal. In time, we trust, La Gloria will realize that being in excelsis is not enough. She must be independent and strong, on her own, the Master (the word "mistress" is out of fashion) of her own House, the Malacañang which is the Palace of the People. She will bridle, surely, at the slightest suggestion that this isn’t the case now. But we know that, upon reflection (prayerful or otherwise), she’ll realize that saying "thank you" to those who ostensibly backed her in the fight to oust Estrada is the wrong path to take. Ingratitude, we’ve always said, is a President’s most imperative virtue. And if a leader gifted with the highest position within the power of the people to endow wants to say thanks, she must do so to the people. Not just to the "people" who put her there, but the entire citizenry of the land whose present, future and fortunes have been entrusted to her hands.

Only a few are "blessed" by God and, in instances when the guns of the military are needed by the Lord of Battles, with the Presidency of our country. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the daughter herself of a President, has acquired that dizzying height of responsibility and gravitas. She must be in such awe of that shining duty and responsibility that she’ll shrug off the importuning hands and whispers of others and focus her eye, unwaveringly, on the goal of attaining the summum bonum, the welfare and belated happiness of a disappointed nation and the security of our Republic.

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Incidentally, The Straits Times article, datelined Manila, and written by Arturo Bariuad, the head of the ST Philippines bureau, says: "The race for Cabinet and other senior positions here is shaping up as a test of influence which two former Presidents wield in the new Philippine administration, leaving President Gloria Arroyo caught between her predecessors." The report adds that "the Philippine leader maintains that she makes her own decisions, but the power and influence of former Presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos are evidently showing as the Cabinet takes shape day by day."

The article announced that "as a tribute to a man seen as instrumental in her rise to power and her future protection, Mrs. Arroyo yesterday named him as a roving special international envoy." It noted that "Mr. Ramos, who was instrumental in convincing the military and the police to withdraw their support for Mr. Joseph Estrada last week, will also represent Mrs. Arroyo at this week’s World Economic Forum in Davos."

Oh, well. It’s okay with everyone of us, I’m certain, that Kuya Eddie is going to Davos to say that the Sick Man of Asia has once more gotten out of bed and is going jogging. And, wow, our most travelled President can now resume his travels at government expense. Probably it’s a small price to pay for the restoration of "democracy." Or perhaps rejuvenated FVR is planning to donate his time and buy his own tickets. But let’s not be churlish and kuripot. From Expo to Roadshow, we’re on the march again.

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That Strait Times is really getting somewhat nasty. In another piece, it headlined: "Ramos Irritated at Remarks Made by SM Lee." The "SM" in that headline has nothing to do with Megamall, but means "Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew", the man who built up Singapore when he was Prime Minister.

Agence France-Presse was the source of that contretemps, saying that FVR had "expressed irritation at reported remarks by Singapore’s Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew on the ouster of disgraced President Estrada."

What got FVR’s goat? Went on AFP: "The overthrow of Estrada was hailed here (in Manila) as a victory for popular democracy but Mr. Lee was reported as saying in an interview with the Associated Press that it was done outside the Constitution." Lee was further quoted as saying: "I don’t think it was a plus for the democratic system." To which Kuya Eddie snapped back: "Their system is different from ours. Why is he going against world opinion? Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong has already indicated his government’s recognition of the Arroyo administration. So, what’s wrong with Lee Kuan Yew?"

Don’t get sore, General. LKY’s like that.

And by the way, The Straits Times in its front-page banner headline declared: "PM Plans for Smooth Turnover." Why so smooth? Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, who took over the helm from ex-PM Lee Kuan Yew in November 1990, "has picked his successor – Brigadier General (NS) Lee Hsien Loong." To nobody’s surprise here, B.G. Lee is the son of Lee Kuan Yew.

But wait. According to the article bylined by Irene Ng, political correspondent, Prime Minister Goh is not yet ready to go. He plans to remain PM until about the year 2007. Said he: "By 2007, I will be about 66. So I would like to see a fresh team in charge at that point in time with fresh ideas, strong enough, young enough to attract support and carry on my goals for Singapore."

Good for him to say that he’ll go gently into the night.

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THE ROVING EYE . . . I was boarding my Singapore Airlines plane yesterday morning when my friend, Philippine Air Force (PAF) Commanding General Benjamin Defensor rang me up on my cellphone. Benjie said that my narration of what transpired when the Air Force withdrew from supporting deposed President Estrada and pledged itself to support the new government being born at EDSA II was incorrect. General Defensor said that he had been the one who gave the signal to his commanders to switch. In fact, he pointed out, all the major PAF commanders had been his subordinates, and one major commander had "even been my wing man." Benjie asserted that the reason he had not been able to mount the stage at EDSA when Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Angelo T. Reyes, SND Orly Mercado, and the other officers went up to declare themselves was because he had been "held up by traffic." The next time, of course, Benjie will take a plane instead of going by land. But I stand corrected. Please recall that General Defensor, a real fighting pilot and combat flyer, had been my personal candidate for PAF Commanding General – a post, I say, he attained on his own merits and combat record, not because he is the brother of Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago. Being the brother of somebody else is a great burden, sometimes, not an advantage. When I exposed the Aidsisa "behest loan" scandal in the Philippine National Bank years ago (submitting six inches of incriminating documents to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee), my kid brother, PNB Senior Vice President Manuel "Manny" Soliven got the blame. The Big Boss of PNB then, Roberto (Robber Two?) S. Benedicto, punished Manny by taking his department of Economic Research away from him and casting him into the outer darkness of "Siberia" in the bank, by giving him only a desk in a dark corner, with no secretary or assistants, and no assignments for almost seven years. Poor Manny. He was innocent, but he had been condemned because he was my brother. But he bounced back later from suffering and isolation to become Executive Vice President of PNB, then finally retired when he collapsed from kidney trouble in London. General Defensor decreed on January 19, to prove his "turning against" the Estrada administration that no planes from the Air Force would fly on that date, and only the next day did he dispatch an F-5 and some helicopter gunships to reconnoiter and see whether danger lurked in any "hot spots" in Metro Manila. Okay, Benjie. Fly high, fellow! . . . When our SQ 71 flight took off from the NAIA at 8 a.m. yesterday, what dismayed me was the heavy pall of dark-brown pollution which was seen from the air palpably choking almost all of Metro Manila. Pollution is poisoning our people every day. We’ve got smoke-belching 10- to 15-year old buses (all imported by no-goods during the Cory and Ramos dispensations, sad to say). We’ve got smoking piles of garbage (hence methane-gas smoldering "smokey mountains"), dirty factory chimneys. Why isn’t anything being done about it? This cloak of pollution is causing cancer, emphysema, throat and lung diseases, and terrible allergies. And what about the garbage? Our silly Congressmen and Senators passed a "Clean Air Act" which prohibited incinerators! How then are we to dispose of poisonous, toxic, disease-bearing, stinking hospital waste and other hazardous waste? By mixing them into dumpsites? When our plane soared over Singapore at 12:30 p.m., three hours, 15 minutes later, we came in from the sea and there was Singapore in glorious, clear sunlight! Not any haze or any hint of pollution! Yet Singapore utilizes "incinerators" to burn garbage and trash. There’s something wrong with the way we do things. We’re wallowing in trash and detritus – both actual and political. It’s time for a clean-up in our minds, our hearts, and our way of life and politics, don’t you think?