Four US presidents have already been assassinated – Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Kennedy. There were also attempts on the lives of Gerard Ford and Ronald Reagan. The Kennedy assassination was perhaps the single biggest incident the US Secret Service will never forget. During that time, the local police were allowed to look after the security of the president with the support of Washington’s security people. But shortly after the attempts on Ford and Reagan, the Secret Service took the lead role in safeguarding the US president. Security around the president has become so tight, the local police are not even allowed to take a secondary role. Since then, security around Bush has tripled and the security measures have become more detailed and stringent most especially after the attack on the World Trade Center.
Bush’s advance party came to the Batasang Pambansa with only one thing in mind: safety for Bush. That’s why they did what they had to do. It’s basically pointless to even argue about it. I don’t know why some congressmen are making a big fuzz over the very tight security measures. They, of all people, should know. Even their own Sergeant-at-Arms was not safe inside the halls of Congress where he was slapped by a silly congressman he was supposed to protect. Obviously, Bush’s security people have to be absolutely sure that no untoward incident happens when Bush speaks before the joint session of the Philippine Congress. In fact, the security would be so tight that no one – no VIP or toron vendor – will be allowed to enter the premises without passing through a very thorough security check. As a matter of fact, Bush’s security people even counted the steps he would take, and how long that would take from the time he arrives at the Batasang Pambansa and walks to the podium. That’s how detailed their security is. That’s probably why Joe de V and Frank Drilon were the only ones requested by Bush’s security officers to shake the hands of Bush for precise timing. Because of this scenario, my friend Celso Lobregat tried to be smart and said, "If Bush will not shake my hand, it will be his loss not mine." But then again, it would be a greater loss if something happens. In a nutshell, all the places that Bush will visit are now under strict security surveillance, including the NAIA or Clark.
The recent controversy in the US that the White House leaked the report that the wife of a diplomat is a CIA agent is bringing down Bush’s ratings. That’s why some local cabinet officials are saying that Bush is coming here not to endorse GMA but it’s the other way around – to get the "endorsement" of GMA and the Filipino people so as to boost GWBs image with the three-million strong Filipino-Americans scattered all over the East and West Coasts. With the seemingly low ratings of Bush (standing at 49 percent or even lower by this time), and the coming US presidential elections also in 2004, Bush’s image makers are probably seeing this as a good chance to boost his image to his Fil-American voters. Because of this controversy, George Jr. might go the way of his father, who is a one termer. During Desert Storm, George Sr. had a very high performance rating among Americans. However, it eventually went down, and he eventually lost the presidency because of the recession. The same thing might happen to George Jr., but then again, I hope not. The other night at the FOCAP meeting, US ambassador Frank Ricciardone said that the US is ready to make GMA an "Honorary American" citizen. Well, I’m sure Frank will regret saying that because soon, every Tom, Dick, and Johnny will be lining up at the US Embassy to be an honorary American citizen.
Anyway, our friend Bert Romulo is obviously one of those who understand the dynamics of the security situation. That’s why he readily gave up his office, the former premiere Guesthouse (where Erap used to live) which is located across the main Palace. They had it renovated so George W and First Lady Laura Bush can freshen up before the state dinner.
Bottomline is: we have to make this trip of Bush as safe and beneficial for both the Philippines and the United States, even if it means we have to take a secondary role (or better yet, no role at all) in securing the US president during his visit. It’s just a short eight-hour trip anyway. The Thais, for example, signed off and gave in to the request of the Secret Service to take full responsibility for the security of their president. To the Thais, it’s just as well because they have 20 other headaches, or heads of state, to worry about. So, why not do what the Thais did, and stop beating around the Bush.