Habit-forming

This much we can glean from the mixed signals from Malacañang and the Liberal Party: President Aquino is open to political Charter change and a second term. But whether or not he will actively pursue political Cha-cha will depend on the results of the next reputable surveys.

That will be at the end of the third quarter, with the results known in early October – unless the two top pollsters conduct special surveys a few weeks earlier, specifically on these issues.

If the statements emanating from the Palace are confusing, it’s because the mouthpieces’ principal himself has a confused stand. Between the nagging of the MAD bosses in the Liberal Party (LP) and the yammering of critics, who can blame President Aquino for being of two minds about Cha-cha?

Yesterday, commemorations of his father’s assassination were used as opportunities to remind him that Ferdinand Marcos imposed martial law in 1972 because he could no longer run for a third term.

All the yammering Marcos critics were rounded up and tossed into jail. Among the first to be taken, on the strength of an ASSO or Arrest, Search and Seizure Order signed by the defense chief, Juan Ponce Enrile, was P-Noy’s dad Ninoy.

The bite of that ASSO was definitely worse than its bark. Many of those seized in those early days were tortured; a good number became desaparecidos.

Among the first tasks of newbie dictator Ferdinand Marcos, a lawyer and stickler for legal niceties, was to change the pesky Constitution that limited him to two four-year terms. After declaring martial law, he stayed on for 14 more years, on top of the six that he had served.

My generation, the so-called martial law babies, grew up with Marcos’ “New Society” slogan “sa ikauunlad ng bayan, disiplina ang kailangan” ringing in our ears. For national progress, discipline is needed.

It sounds as reasonable as “kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap.” For about two years, parents and the Catholic Church enthusiastically embraced the Marcos slogan as the New Society got rid of rock n roll, drugs, long hair, mini skirts and hardcore porn movies.

Our history is replete with proof that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

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P-Noy was a beneficiary of “necropolitics” – his mother died, and a grieving nation gave him a landslide victory. Clearly, the voters believed the son would take after the mother.

The MAD bosses will probably dispute it, but among the qualities that voters believed P-Noy had imbibed from his mom was an indifference to power.

Corazon Aquino died as the Arroyo administration was sweeping the ashes of an attempt to amend the Constitution and lift the president’s term limit. Nonong Cruz memorably called the so-called people’s initiative for Cha-cha a “legally harebrained idea.” Shortly after making the statement, he quit as defense chief of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

The retreat from Cha-cha became complete after that national outpouring of grief over Cory Aquino’s passing. GMA critics saw victory in the mere fact that the 2010 general elections were held as scheduled.

In the end, GMA handed over power peacefully to P-Noy. The predominantly yellow audience at the inaugural in Rizal Park had the grace not to boo, although there was no applause either, as she walked away from power.

These days people are saying, if GMA could do it, why can’t the only son of Ninoy and Cory Aquino?

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Economic Cha-cha is anchored on the belief that P-Noy will never be bitten by the term extension bug, making his administration the best time to push for Charter change.

As Cory Aquino said, however, power can be habit-forming. In one of her most quoted speeches, delivered on the anniversary of martial law in 1997, she said: “Power intoxicates; too much power is addictive. And there will always be power drug dealers who will feed your habit as president. They will say you are right, when you are wrong. They will say you are successful, when you fail, and will insist you are indispensable, although you are just one of 70 million Filipinos who gave you the rare privilege to be their servant, but only for your elected term. They will say that nobody can take your place, when what they mean is that they do not want to give up their places.”

Truly, the more things change in this country… but Filipinos expected better from P-Noy.

People who were unimpressed by Ninoy Aquino, however, are saying that P-Noy may be more like the father rather than the mom.

Before Ninoy’s assassination turned him into a martyr for freedom, student activists in the University of the Philippines denounced him together with Marcos as US puppets or “Amboys.” The activists said Ninoy had his own dictatorial streak and could have taken the same route as Marcos.

Several of those activists, now preparing to apply for their senior citizen cards, are not surprised that P-Noy is open to the possibility of having his term limit lifted so he can seek reelection.

From the statements emanating from LP stalwarts, it’s easy to tell whose voices or boses P-Noy is hearing.

In the seemingly conflicting statements coming from LP leaders and Palace mouthpieces, there has been no categorical denial that P-Noy wants a term extension.

Malacañang urged the public to watch or read a transcript of his entire interview with TV5, for a nuanced appreciation of what P-Noy said on Cha-cha and his term extension.

P-Noy is notorious for breaking the train of thought in the middle of an important statement and then trailing off, or else leaping to another issue without finishing his comment on another one. But in that interview, as far as I know, everyone came away with the same interpretation of his answers.

It was the first time ever that P-Noy had expressed openness to Cha-cha and a possible lifting of his term limit. He said it would be good to ensure the continuity of his reforms under daang matuwid. I’m not aware of anyone changing his or her interpretation of what P-Noy said.

A maybe without a clear no is taken to mean yes, P-Noy is interested in six more years.