Digging in

No retreat, no surrender. That seems to be the guiding principle of both the administration and the opposition in the political conflagration that’s threatening to destroy our country.

Both camps are digging in. Which means the political typhoon now buffeting the nation will get worse before it gets better.

As early as Oct. 7, President Arroyo may be declared the standard-bearer of the ruling Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, according to Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., who co-chairs the party together with the President. That’s a month earlier than the expected announcement from Mrs. Arroyo about her political plans.

Prior to this, the President had told the nation – if not in word, then in deed – that she was standing by her man. First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo must be relieved, although this didn’t show even when he was with his wife and children at the National Press Club’s annual Gridiron. We’ll see if he can put on a happier face when he serves as the President’s chief baggage handler during her visits to New York, Rome and Paris.

All indications point to Mrs. Arroyo changing her mind about her withdrawal from the 2004 presidential race. In fact her husband’s troubles probably started when she sent the strongest message yet that she was still in the race – when she failed to bid goodbye in what was supposed to be her last State of the Nation Address at the joint opening session of Congress last July.

If all she wanted to achieve in her SONA was to lose her lame-duck image, the price – for both her administration and personal life – has been too steep.

Everything is being thrown at the beleaguered President these days. Once she becomes a declared presidential candidate, she will get even the kitchen sink. Surely she must know this, and surely her administration is preparing to fight back.

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There’s no turning back either for opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who is returning from abroad in a few days, armed with more ammunition against the administration. The damage Lacson has done on the First Family and the administration cannot be easily unmade. And by all indications he has more in store, which is putting Malacañang on edge.

The administration is hitting back. It is not by accident that Blanquita Pelaez is in Manila, dishing out dirt against Lacson, although Malacañang insists that it has nothing to do with the return of the US-based businesswoman.

So far the accusations against Lacson seem stale, and pale in comparison with the Jose Pidal scandal. But it’s reasonable to expect that there will be more to come. And even if we are treated to a long line of unreliable witnesses such as Udong Mahusay and Ador Mawanay, the nation will gobble up all the scandals.

Reconciliation seems impossible for these two camps. All that they can do is finish each other off.

It bodes ill for our nation, which has enough problems without governance being held hostage to political bickering.

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Certain groups are taking advantage of the political turmoil to pursue their own agenda. I don’t think it’s purely psy war or black propaganda to say that bank robberies and other seemingly ordinary crimes are the handiwork of destabilizers. Many of the crimes are clearly meant more to intimidate and sow instability than to reap financial profit. Robberies in crowded restaurants and popular fast-food outlets are particularly fishy.

So be vigilant when doing business in banks or eating out, or even when driving. Yesterday there were text messages about carjackers pulling a driver out of a vehicle while it was stalled in traffic in Manila. Women drivers in particular are prime targets.

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What I still find hard to believe are reports linking a prominent figure to current destabilization moves. The man has a following in all sectors of society, from the military to civil society, and he can be a formidable threat to the administration.

All along I thought the man had invested so much in this country. Then again, that could be the precise reason he thinks he can ride on a wave of instability and unrest and present himself as savior of the weak Republic. His group has reportedly been meeting to discuss details of saving the nation from the likes of Ping Lacson, and even from Gloria and Mike Arroyo.

As the President and Lacson dig in, readying more bombshells against each other, this shadowy group seems to be gathering strength. I don’t think the group’s timetable involves waiting for the elections in May 2004.

Whoever wins in our politicians’ zero-sum games, the nation will emerge as the biggest loser.

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NOT ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES: "Kidnappers prosper… Families pay ransom rather than seek police help." No, that’s not about Metro Manila. It’s a news report about Baghdad, where kidnappers are reportedly collecting from $1,000 to $25,000 per head as ransom. That’s what you get when you have too many people bristling with guns, where law enforcement is weak and there’s no food on the table. Does that sound familiar?

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PLAYING UP STRENGTHS: I had an interesting talk recently with noted anthropologist F. Landa Jocano. He wanted to know why we kept harping on alleged weaknesses in the Filipino character. He cited the bahala na attitude – the fatalism that he said was in fact a source of strength for the Filipino in the face of adversity. He also wanted to know why people refer to a Malay race but not a Filipino race. Jocano has been pushing for a revision of the way Filipinos are taught about their origins. He doesn’t think we owe our origins to the islands that now form part of Malaysia and Indonesia. He wants us to be proud of being Pinoy and refuse to give in to despair. His message has special resonance in these days of deep discontent.