The Council's Choice

Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

by Rain B

The first time I saw Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in person, her smile was still genuine. She was on her way to become Vice President when she visited Cagayan de Oro. I was with some Jesuit Volunteers Philippines (JVP). Her niece, Melissa Macapagal was a volunteer assigned to Ateneo de Cagayan. Batchmate Butch, assigned to assist the Mindanao farmers, was courting Luli at that time, and was making papogi. GMA was informed that I was part of the group who prepped the Mapalad farmers for their hunger strike and she was proud of us.

The next time I met her, the burden of a presidency whose legitimacy was in question weighed heavily upon her face. She went to mass at her alma mater, Assumption College; we were there because I was doing work for AMA volunteers. She was thankful that Sr. Gertrude Borres, AC President, did not succumb to the pressure of Cory Aquino to hold the press conference of the ten breakaway cabinet members inside the campus. That’s why they moved to Hyatt. I knew Sr. Gertrude cried a lot that day because it was difficult to say no to Tita Cory, but the nun had to place the school at a neutral ground. GMA shook hands with us, but did not pay attention. Maybe for her, we were just a bunch of idealists who were ignorant of the real state of the nation.

Garci tapes notwithstanding, I gave her a teeny, tiny benefit of the doubt, only because my mentor, Sr. Fe Emmanuel Beltran, a personal friend of GMA, felt she had a valid reason not to resign. Apparently, GMA told the Assumption sisters that if she resigns, the presidency will be up for grabs and might end up in the hands of a more corrupt official. They were afraid of Danding then. It was not a moral ground but a practical one: if she resigns, who will take over?

Last time I saw her was last Holy Week in Baguio City. She was stoic, almost automated like a robot. In the past, she preferred St. Joseph church in Pacdal because it’s practically walking distance from The Mansion. But that time, she wanted to avoid the crowd; so she chose a small prayer chapel in the retreat house where I stayed: The Little Flower. The Lozada expose was still very hot. Little did she know that Sr. Susan, SFIC, who was one of the first to shelter Lozada, was also in that convent praying for her resignation.

Around this time, the Church people, who raised hundreds of millions for the Lozada sanctuary fund, were aware that they lost the battle. It became very clear to almost everyone that she has one goal in mind: stay in power at all costs.

It took a long time, but that was when she totally lost me.

I had difficulty judging her right away because when it comes to GMA it was difficult to differentiate fact from fiction, hard proof from concocted evidence, valid opposition from power grabbers. But the paper trails and whistleblowers were just too many to ignore. She survived because she is one “lucky bitch.”

Her husband is her primary scapegoat, and most Filipinos understand that wives, president or sidewalk vendors, seldom have power to control their spouses’ vices and addiction. The concept of command responsibility has not sunk in yet into our consciousness. So, even if her popularity ratings are the lowest in any administration, these sentiments do not translate to people power, also because EDSA has lost its credibility.

“She also survived because she is a scheming and cunning political player who knows her way with politicians and military men. If reason was needed, she could be convincing. If money was an issue, she was willing to spend. If power and position were the demands, she was willing to broker.” This was not from a detractor; this was someone whom GMA calls Mother and who loves the president unconditionally.

And there is the question of the economy: it was doing relatively well, despite the presidency; and any economic problem now and in the coming years can be attributed to a global recession. She is safe.

Indeed, she is one lucky bitch. Most pundits have crowned her as the worst president this country ever had. But her supporters have claimed that she is the best one ever. It’s clear to a lot of people that she stole the office twice. But for a few, she saved this country twice from men of lesser virtues and competence.

In her speech during the series activities in the preparation for the canonization of Marie Eugenie, she talked about how the Assumption sisters have taught her two things that she carries as president: love of God and fidelity to duty. “This fidelity to duty, taught to me by people like Mother Carmen, is what moved me to hold on to the job even if I am attacked from various forces”, she said, or words to that effect. I looked around and saw some Old Girls (the term for the Assumption alumni) in tears. But there were those who were unmoved, people like Judy Araneta Roxas, who was president of the Alumni Association. And it was only because the nuns taught them good manners and right conduct that they stood up and applauded politely after her speech. And like women of good breeding, they gossiped after she left.

As someone who oversaw the historical research of the influence of Assumption College in the country, I can definitely say that in the history of Assumption, there never was an alumna who divided that elite community effectively as Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had done.

But that is also what she did to the rest of the country.

If the Victorina Icon is given to someone whose scandals have rocked and divided the nation, then no one is more deserving than Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.