China plays ‘Philippine card’ with GMA-Hu Jintao meeting in New York

"Impeachment," let’s face it, was killed yesterday in the House of Representatives by 158 turning thumbs down on it versus a piddling 51 Congressmen, with six abstaining.

Two of those who abstained, Rep. Sendig Dilangalen (1st. district, Maguindanao), Didagen’s wife, and the other Erap crony, Rep. Luis "Baby" Asistio of Caloocan, explained their "abstention" by indicating they didn’t recognize GMA as having been elected President, so they needn’t bother to "impeach" her.

Sanamagan. Everybody literally delivered an oration to explain his or her vote.

Cory, Susan, et al, tried to storm Congress with some demonstrators – a miserably sparse 8,000. Sorry for them, the waving yellow and red flags didn’t attract the desired surge of "people power." I guess the people are tired of constantly being called on to provide people fodder. They just want to get on with their lives, make a living, and struggle through the harsh bite of soaring fuel prices. This is not because they support GMA, I suspect, or love freedom and justice less, but because none of the alternatives seem appetizing. In this sense, the still-embattled La Presidenta is lucky.

I think it’s time for us to calm down – already. Tama na. (Sobra na?) There’s work to be done. A shattered economy to rebuild – if possible, at this stage where it’s been wrecked by stupid political warfare and media – let’s admit it – hyperbole.

The opposition, alas, lost its golden opportunity when it failed to unite for the May 2004 elections – and may have lost its last gasp of a chance (but very slight) when the "Hello, Garci" tapes stirred up a tempest in a teapot by allying themselves with the red-placard, red-flag minions of the Radical Left. Nothing like the spectre of Communist take-over or New People’s Army "victory" to repel everybody, especially the military and the police. This apparently has kept the armed forces and the cops in GMA’s, the Commander-in-Chief’s corner.

Oh well, they’ll keep on trying to whip up mob action. But even if they hold more De La Salle prayer rallies, et cetera, this gets harder and harder, quite clearly, to mobilize.

Is GMA now sitting pretty? Not really. She’ll have to realize that now comes the hard part. Becoming a President, not a non-stop deal-maker. She still is Madam Wishy-Washy, practising Adhocracy which is not the same as democracy.

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The Philippines must fight its way back to stability – and, most of all, to international confidence as a viable nation, not tearing itself apart, but ready to resume business, including the business of living.

To begin with, we must reestablish the rule of law, not the runaway rule of lawyers.

Would you believe? The European Commission, according to the Financial Times Observer Column yesterday, unveiled a report covering its 25-member bloc. It turns out the EC "is trying to bust open closed shops among white-collar professionals . . . (such as) restrictive practices and fixed fees."

As the Observer pointed out, these fees are similar to the way "architects and pharmacists rip off consumers."

A Commission official said, however, "it was harder to end those practices in certain professions as reforms were held up in national parliaments chock-full of their representatives. Apparently he had lawyers, of all people, in mind."

The London columnist underscored: "It is not just parliaments our learned friends dominate. A quick survey by Observer’s man finds that 10 European Union states are run by law graduates of whom many, such as Tony Blair of the UK and Gerhard Schroeder of Germany have practised."

"Rather dismally, the next biggest contingent, with seven, are economists."

The newspaper revealed, though, the report which is calling for reforms was written by Ms. Jane Grady, a law graduate. "Takes one to know one," the FT quipped in its parting shot.

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At our Tuesday Club breakfast yesterday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Bert Romulo – accompanied by his lovely wife, Lovely Romulo, of course, and daughter Mons – said that President GMA would be flying direct to New York City, arriving there on September 12. I suppose the originally scheduled visit to Saudi Arabia will be reset later.

I told him that my Chinese sources had disclosed that she will be meeting there with China’s President and Party chief, Mr. Hu Jintao, probably on September 13. I checked with Chinese Ambassador Hu Wongbo, who rang me up about noontime, and he confirmed that, indeed, such a meeting was being "worked out."

The interesting thing about it is that the Chinese government initiated the idea. Perhaps the canny President Hu is trying to send the message that US President George W. Bush may not find time to meet with the Philippine President, but China’s leader is eager to pursue further talks with the Philippines even in New York. The Chinese never miss a bet these days, whether in diplomacy or in pressuring the European Union (whose leaders, led by Britain’s Tony Blair, conferred with Hu in Beijing last Monday) to "release" millions of Chinese-made sweaters, bras, and trousers, "impounded" in European ports.

I agree with yesterday’s Asian Wall Street Journal when it opined on its editorial page that the Katrina Hurricane disaster had given Bush "a plausible reason" to postpone Wednesday’s – i.e. today’s – planned state visit by the Chinese President. The newspaper added, on the other hand, that "the delay was unfortunate." Bush, it said, "needs to discuss some important issues with Hu."

"The US wants Mr. Hu," George Mellon reminded readers in the editorial page, "to improve human rights, cool down the cross-strait feuding with Taiwan and do more to persuade North Korea that nuclear blackmail is a dangerous game. Mr. Bush, for his part, could try to stop spurious attacks on China for sins it hasn’t committed, like currency manipulation. In America’s overheated politics, there are far too many ill-informed attempts to paint China as an economic aggressor."

The last thing we all need, in truth, is a new Cold War.

In any event, Bert Romulo added, GMA will join the Inter-Faith conference in the United Nations, then Chair the meeting of the UN Security Council of which the Philippines is the temporary Chairman (according to our envoy to the UN, Ambassador Larry Baja, several heads of state will represent their countries at that Council meeting).

Then, naturally, GMA will attend the UN General Assembly session. Busy, busy, busy. Fortunately for her, barring unexpected further "eruptions", the demise of the impeachment challenge, gets that worrisome obstacle out of the way.

As for Ambassador Hu, he will be returning to Beijing in the first week of October, perhaps immediately after he hosts the October 1st national day reception, not to be confused with Taiwan’s "Double 10." Bert Romulo said he had heard Ambassador Wu will be promoted to a ranking post in the foreign ministry, and his replacement will be the current Ambassador in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma).

I asked my friend Ambassador Wu about his impending future. Wu tactfully replied: "In the old days, when an official was recalled, there were two options: One, he would be executed. Or, second, he would be promoted."

He’s been the most articulate, and effective envoy Beijing has sent here – if you’ll recall, our first Ambassador to Beijing during the Marcos regime was Benjamin "Kokoy" Romualdez, who could never be described as articulate. So, I submit, Ambassador Hu will be elevated.

Yet, nothing can be predicted in China. It’s like the Cantonese salutation, "May you live in interesting times!" This is a curse, not a blessing.

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The Tuesday Club yesterday teemed with high-powered personalities, and we its regulars were both "shocked and awed." In walked our partner, Quezon City Mayor S.B. (Sonny Belmonte) with a wide grin on his face and we recalled our old times on the police beat in the Manila Chronicle. We had Press Secretary Toting Bunye, who didn’t, fortunately for me, come with a set of "Hello, Maxie" spliced wiretaps; Presidential Management Staff Secretary Bobby Tiglao; Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez; Media Affairs Sec. Cerge Remonde, PITC Secretary Obet Pagdanganan; Tourism Secretary Ace Durano; Presidential Advisor Arturo Yap (former Agriculture Secretary); Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Gene Senga; Admiral Ernie de Leon, Philippine Navy Flag-officer-in-command; Army Commanding General Hermogenes Esperon; PNP General Avelino "Sonny" Razon. Then we had Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Jojo Bunag; DFA Protocol Chief Ambassador Toto Zaide, former Ambassador to Moscow Jimmy Bautista, and a sprinkling of envoys, like Indian Ambassador Navrekha Sharma.

We didn’t mention them earlier since they are Tuesday Club members, but we had, needless to say, Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando and Marikina Mayor Marides Fernando; Senator Fred Lim; Senator Manny Villar; Comelec Chairman Ben Abalos; and scores of members and friends. We also had members Rizal Governor Ito Ynares, Pasig Mayor Enteng Eusebio, and four other governors.

Those who weren’t cited in this name-dropping spree, please forgive me. The Tuesday Club, founded by our late colleague, STAR Columnist Art Borjal (God rest his gallant soul) marches on!

ANC-ABS/CBN "Straight Talk" TV host, Cito Beltran, ribbed me, "Uncle Max, why haven’t you still given me a column?" I replied, "I gave a column to your dad, the brilliant Straight From the Shoulder Louie Beltran, and it got me the President Cory Libel Suit!" In short, "another Beltran, "I riposted, "might get me into more trouble!"

Cito smiled even more merrily and recalled: "Today is the 11th anniversary of Papa’s death!" Indeed, Louie Beltran died two years before the Court of Appeals overturned the harsh decision convicting us of Manila RTC Judge Ramon Makasiar, Branch 34 Manila, who will forever be remembered.

God bless you, Louie, vindicated, and declared innocent long after death! Justice, too often, comes too late in this country – but it came for us, thanks to the courageous Court of Appeals.