‘I’m not quitting!’ GMA forcefully says, defying nasty rumors

La Presidenta made her announcement on television last night. She declared she is not resigning. She asked for the courtesy resignations of all the members of her Cabinet.

She hinted at revamping our form of government.

It was a much better speech than her pathetic June 27 television "lapse in judgment", "Hello Sorry", et cetera, partial confession snafu.

The vultures were already gathering to pounce on her. Now she’s fighting back. Will she win? Will she falter? It’s up to her. At last, in my estimation, she found the words. Now let’s see the action.

* * *

For the past few days, the town seethed with rumors, both nasty . . . and hilarious.

If you talked to some quarters, early yesterday you’d have thought it was "the end" for La Gloria. They were all "confident" she’ll be rattled into resigning. Who’d "take over"? Perhaps Noli Me Tangere? Perhaps some "civilian" committee? Horrors! A military junta of "Young Colonels"? This is a land in which rumor repeated relentlessly, on radio and television, or in the print media, is believed to become "a fact".

We have self-fulfilling prophecies as well as self-fulfilling crackpots. Is GMA "on the ropes" as the latest NEWSWEEK asked? Were several of her Cabinet planning to dramatically resign in anger and protest? Well, La Presidenta preempted any of them by announcing she’s asking for the "courtesy resignations" of all her Cabinet members so she can do a complete clean-up and revamp?

We mustn’t despair. Our never-a-dull-moment political history has always been a combination of Disneyland and Grand Guignol.

La Presidenta and Commander-in-Chief summoned retiring (but not yet retired) Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Efren L. Abu, incoming AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Generoso Senga, and Philippine National Police Director General Arturo C. Lomibao to Malacañang at 7:30 p.m. last night, before she made her announcement.

A "wartime" President?

* * *

Here was RUMOR Number One: There would be an explosive "exposé" made shortly (this weekend?), one faction claimed, which will compel GMA to "resign". I don’t know how they thought could this be accomplished: GMA is her father’s daughter, but even more so her mother’s daughter. Translation: Resign? No way.

RUMOR Number Two: In disgust, some of her Cabinet members will be resigning. Who? Names mentioned yesterday in combinations of two or three, not necessary coinciding, were Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, then Trade and Industry Johnny Santos. Also rumored, but in another context: Energy Secretary Popoy Lotilla; Social Welfare’s Dinky Soliman; and Teresita Deles of the Peace Process. No kidding? Repeat, these were the early rumors going around. Now, GMA’s beaten any of them to the gun.

Then there’s former President Erap Estrada, as earlier mentioned, forming his civilian junta (no, no to the military, he told me when I visited him in the hospital) but asserting he no longer wants to regain the Presidency himself. Timeo Danaos utiam et dona ferentes as the epic poet Vergil said in his Aeneid. I hope I spelled it right, but it means "I fear the Greeks even when bearing gifts." Should we beware the Erap Trojan Horse, or what? Erap, an ex-Atenista who speaks better English than he pretends calls snobs "intellectual hoodlums".

Then there’s ex-President Fidel V. Ramos. Is he calling for a snap election? Can he somehow regain power in order to "save" the nation? Heaven save us.

If you follow the Constitutional line of succession, naturally, there’s, as bruited about earlier, Vice-President Noli de Castro. He told me he’s not "hungry" for the Presidency. But who isn’t? From the standpoint of other would-be contenders, this hunger has no age limits.

The Veep was said (I got this from one of his rabid supporters) to have demurred, pleading that he didn’t speak good enough "English". To which his followers snapped: "Speak Tagalog!"

The fact is that the Cebuano-speakers down south are already up in arms against Tagalog imperialism and Imperial Manila (Maynila), and Rody Duterte in Davao too, is threatening to create a Davao Republic." Rody already has a Davao National Anthem, a Davao Emblem, and US$500 million "international reserve."

In Mindanao’s Muslim areas, though, they might hail an "eventual" Noli de Castro "Presidency." Because his wife, Arlene, would become First Lady and she comes from the powerful Moro clan of Sinsuat. (From the Maguindanao and Cotabato area?) Arlene’s friends in the ABS-CBN where she worked used to call her "Tarhata". I don’t know whether she liked this or not.

Once more, Noli’s one heartbeat away from the presidency — or ready or not.

* * *

Are we now facing a GMA counter-offensive, or a subtle exit strategy? Don’t ask me. My crystal ball fogged up long ago.

Last night’s declaration confirmed what many of us already surmised, that the embattled President would propose the fast-track Constitutional change to, say, a parliamentary form of government. In short, to hint that she might voluntarily cut short her term, and yield to early parliamentary elections. But what about revamping and reforming the Commission on Elections, the same corrupt poll body which gave us such controversial poll results, the automated counting machines scandal, and, earlier, dagdag-bawas? How could such a crooked Comelec make for meaningful and credible elections?

Speaker Joe de Venecia already mentioned the President boosting a fast switch to parliamentary government when I met him at the Palace state dinner last Wednesday for the Prime Minister of Poland, the Hon. Marek Belka – who, by the way, delivered his speech in excellent English, with charm and conviction. (GMA has given Foreign Affairs Secretary Bert Romulo the green light to establish a former Philippine Embassy in Warsaw, Poland, something which we ought to have done long ago).

Will GMA go through an "impeachment" ordeal in Congress? JDV told me this is in the works. Opposition critics claim this is a ploy to either vindicate GMA or buy time for her to get her act together. This is a season of conspiracy and paranaoia. So what’s new?

Abangan the next chapter of this drama.