Call for nationhood

What does Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor, Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) "acting" Secretary Nasser Pangandaman, and Undersecretary Abraham A.Purugganan of the Office of the President have in common? The three Arroyo officials have organized themselves as the core of the Madyaas Confederacy. Madyaas (may I just ask) what is this?

Punning aside, the group is called Madyaas Confederacy as a new national movement that aims to revive the Filipino national identity and love of country. Defensor, Pangandaman and Purugganan had an auspicious formal launching of their fledgling national movement last week.

If the name of Purugganan seems familiar, t is because he is the one and the same idealistic member of the military rebel group known as the Young Officers Union (YOU) which joined the bloody 1989 botched coup d’etat against former President Corazon Aquino. Now much older and wiser, Purugganan joined forces with Defensor and fellow Madyaas confederates to wage a new kind of revolution that builds, not destroys, a stronger nation and united people, so they claim.

Defensor says they adopted Madyaas as the name of their group, inspired by a popular folklore in Panay. The folklore, as verbally handed down from generation to generation, tells about Madyaas as the first political organization formed in this island province by 10 Bornean Datus who migrated to the Philippines in the early13th century.

Defensor took time out from his busy schedule at Malacañang Palace to lead the ceremonial launching of this movement in Greenhills, San Juan to drum up interest and draw in more members to their group. Membership to Madyaas is open to young men and women, professionals, community leaders and common Filipino folks who would like to put into concrete action love of their country and firmly believe it is their solemn duty and responsibility to help, in their small way, to move the nation forward.

"We have carried all these years all the sad and mocking labels other people placed above our heads – a country of domestic helpers, the white man’s burden, the sick man of Asia, and so on and so forth. Yet we seem to have forgotten that we remain as the Pearl of the Orient Seas, the First Republic in Asia and the country of people with rich, proud and noble origin who have won their freedom from tyranny in the first non-violent revolution in 1986," Madyaas stated in their declaration." We believe that we have all what it takes to be a strong, united and proud nation once again. We have the means, the strength and the desire to use the heights of our hopes and the core of our ideals for the rejuvenation of our country’s strength and rebuilding our pride as a nation," Madyaas urged.

But whether this movement takes off or not, it is obviously formed as a new political vehicle for Defensor especially now that he meets the age requirement for those wishing to run for the Senate. As can be gleaned from its declared framework, Madyaas stands for its principles that "politics and power have never been ends in themselves but means to serve the people. Politics should be used as an instrument to serve the greatest interests of our people."

One of the youngest Arroyo Cabinet members, the 37-year old Defensor has not made any qualms in his staunch defense of the embattled administration in all its political battles with the Opposition and from the most bitter critics of the President in whatever Cabinet posts he has held through these past six years. He has demonstrated the kind of blind loyalty that endears him a lot to President Arroyo.

I watched the Square Off TV talk show program hosted by Twink Macaraeg at the ANC where Defensor slugged it out with former Congress colleague, House minority leader Sorsogon Rep.Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero in a one-on-one debate. The two are among our young and bright leaders representing the opposite sides of our deeply divided society. Defensor and Escudero though, remain good friends in spite of their differing political beliefs and views for now.

Escudero, who is on his last term in Congress, is one of the potential candidates in the Senate line-up being drawn up by deposed President Joseph Estrada. As the recognized chieftain of the United Opposition (UNO), Estrada has drafted this early the 12-man Senatorial slate he would support in next year’s elections. Aside from Escudero, Estrada has also drafted in his senatorial pick popular actor Richard Gomez, reelectionist Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Panfilo Lacson, former Senators Vicente Sotto III, Tessie Aquino-Oreta, Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan and Loren Legarda, ex-Congressmen Didagen Dilanggalen, Teodoro Locsin and Gilbert Remulla, as well as professor Randy David.

As of this reckoning, the Charter change calendar of Speaker Jose de Venecia failed to meet its July timetable, since there will still be mid-term elections in May 2007 that includes the elections for the new set of 12 Senators. In the meantime, De Venecia will have soon-to-be-installed Senate president Manuel Villar as his new seatmate at the Speaker’s table during the joint opening sessions of Congress on Monday, July 24 when President Arroyo delivers her state of the nation address (SONA) at the Batasan Pambansa in Quezon City.

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Heard from the Grapevine: Government media entities Secretary Cerge Remonde is reportedly being considered anew, for the nth time, to be appointed to a new Cabinet post. He is supposedly being eyed by the President to become her new convenor of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC). I don’t know how these talks came about but there is still a sitting NAPC convenor, Zamzamin Ampatuan. Remonde is supposedly going to be replaced in his post by Press Undersecretary Rollie Reyes. I reached Remonde yesterday and he let out a hearty laugh when I asked about this latest rumor of his imminent new Cabinet post. "You know that I have been a bridesmaid but never the bride!"

Remonde chuckled. He was, of course, referring to previous reports, the most recent of which was his purportedly being considered to replace former Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Pat Sto.Tomas. He was also mentioned in the past as top candidate during the search for the replacement of Defensor as DENR secretary. Much earlier, he was also reportedly considered to be moved over to head the Presidential Management Staff to replace Rigoberto Tiglao who is now our country’s Ambassador to Greece.

So I’m not surprised if Remonde doesn’t get excited anymore about his being considered as a candidate for this post or a nominee to that post until, as they say, the fat lady sings!

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