On the other hand, if the sole basis for declaring a movie actor as a national artist is the sheer number of movies he has appeared in, or directed and produced, then maybe Poe should qualify.
But as I said, not being a follower of Tagalog movies, I would be talking through my hat if I pursue this line about his qualifications. Anyway, his qualifications are not what this piece is all about. So let us just assume that Poe deserves the honor.
Unfortunately for everyone, it is not whether the late actor deserves the honor or not. Indeed, nobody is talking about qualifications in all the conversations generated by this development.
People are talking of something else. More specifically, they are talking about whether President Arroyo is sincere in naming Poe as a national artist or not. So, like Poe's qualification, Arroyo's sincerity is also a maybe yes and a maybe no.
Wow, things are indeed getting pretty complicated in the Philippines, especially for Arroyo. She is in a situation that can best be described as being between the Devil and the deep blue sea.
Whatever she does at this point, sincere or not, her credibility has sunk so low that nobody ever accepts anything without a trace of cynicism. What a terrible price to pay for one who is supposed to be the leader of a country.
Poe was the closest rival of Arroyo in the 2004 elections, an exercise that Arroyo won. But it was a victory that some people, especially those in the opposition, refuse to acknowledge. They accuse Arroyo of cheating.
In the Philippines, however, everybody cheats in an election, varying only in the methods employed. Some do it brazenly with violence, others by slight of hand. Still others do it almost innocuously, like exploiting the weaknesses of the poor with a wad of pesos and a hot meal.
Whatever method of cheating is employed, it is still cheating, if we go by the definition that cheating is depriving a voter of his free choice. By this definition, everyone is in on the game and the only rule they must go by is never ever get caught.
Well, some say Arroyo got caught, with the controversial Garcillano tape proving it. Legally, even if we ignore the fact that the tape was illegally obtained, there was still nothing in it that proves her complicity in fraud.
The conviction of Arroyo before the bar of public opinion stems only from the fact that, by nature, people are predisposed and inclined to believe what is being talked about than was is being determined in court, if it gets to that.
People make conclusions from what they hear, not from what they are presented in evidence, hence the tendency of the most skeptical to reject even court findings on the mere strength of rumors that a decision has been bought.
Well, Arroyo never got that far with regard to the accusations of fraud against her. But as we said, she has already been convicted before the bar of public opinion. So, was she sincere in naming Poe a national artist? See? The answer is still a maybe yes and maybe no.
Those who say she is sincere will point to Poe and the lifetime he dedicated to the movies before getting lured into politics. Those who say she is not sincere will say she is still trying to strike peace with the supporters of Poe who believe he truly won.