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October is usually an uneventful month in Philippine politics. But last month, a series of unfortunate, unbelievable and explosive events triggered a political crisis which continues to hound the Arroyo presidency today.
First there was the overpriced and anomalous national broadband network contract between the Philippine government and ZTE Corporation of China. The son of the Speaker of the Lower House, who was the losing bidder in the project, testified in the Senate that he was bullied by the First Gentleman to "back-off" from the project.
The Senate was investigating the questionable role of the First Family in the controversial project when Arroyo decided to scrap the deal.
Then there was the distribution of cash gifts inside the presidential palace. After attending a meeting with the president, more than 200 lawmakers and politicians allegedly received cash gifts from unidentified palace functionaries. Two governors confessed that they were given cash gifts contained in a paper bag without an accompanying official receipt from the palace.
Who ordered the distribution of cash gifts? Why were they distributed in the palace? Was the president present while the money was handed out to loyal politicians?
For many days, nobody from the president's camp admitted that money was indeed given to politicians. They kept on feigning ignorance about the incident. Some politicians said the money was earmarked for community projects.
A few days ago, an officer of the president's political party said the money was in fact given by the party using private funds. The president was allegedly not informed about the decision to distribute money in the palace.
Most people believe the cash gifts are public funds intended to buy the loyalty of politicians in the wake of the controversy created by the overpriced broadband project.
A few days after the confession of conscience-stricken politicians that they received "illegal" money in the palace, a deadly explosion inside a shopping mall in the country's financial center killed eleven people and injured more than a hundred shoppers and bystanders.
In the first few days after the blast, the government maintained it was a bomb explosion which could be the handiwork of terrorists. But investigators backtracked on their initial assessment and said methane gas was the cause of the explosion.
A newly-elected senator and former military coup leader insists the blast was instigated by special government agents who wanted to distract attention from the political scandals involving the First Family.
A week after the mall explosion, the son of the Speaker of the Lower House testified again in the Senate and directly implicated President Arroyo in the ZTE controversy. The witness said Arroyo was aware of bribery attempts to expedite the approval of the project but she still instructed her subordinate to approve the contract.
Later that night, Arroyo granted a pardon to former President Joseph Estrada, who was earlier found guilty of plunder by a special anti-graft court. The pardon was unexpected since Estrada was convicted only last September. Many believed it was not offered to promote justice and reconciliation but to ensure the political survival of a beleaguered president.
The long and memorable month of October was very embarrassing for the administration. Bribery scandals, corruption cases, the mall explosion and the unprincipled pardon for Estrada further undermined the very low credibility and legitimacy of the Arroyo government.
The political scandals created a rupture in the ruling coalition, worsened the dissension inside the military establishment, infuriated sections of the powerful Catholic Church and big business, consolidated the opposition and motivated the left to step up the campaign to oust Arroyo from power.
The impeachment is the logical consequence of the political turbulence created by the shameful acts of the administration last month. There is now a growing clamor for the immediate resignation of the president. Some political forces want a snap election to solve the crisis of leadership in the country. Some are back in the streets hoping to mobilize another uprising which could topple the Arroyo government. The military is being closely watched since dissatisfaction among junior officers is growing.
Adding to Arroyo's woes are the economic problems of the country. Economic statistics may be positive but poverty and hunger are still prevalent. A 12-year-old girl recently committed suicide in the southern Philippines because of poverty. The death of this innocent child was blamed on the ineffective anti-poverty programs of the government. Many people could not fail to notice the disparity of wealth between the corrupt politicians and the ordinary hardworking citizens of the country.
President Arroyo has managed to remain in power despite being the most unpopular leader, based on public trust ratings, in modern Philippine history. To survive one scandal after another, Arroyo has been using the limited resources of the state to buy the loyalty of politicians and military generals. But this option will not be available all the time since the economy is not stable.
Can President Arroyo finish her term in 2010? Can her administration survive the political crisis this year?
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(Mong Palatino is a youth activist, Global Voices correspondent and news editor of Yehey!, a Philippine-based web portal. His Web site is www.mongpalatino.motime.com
and he can be contacted at mongpalatino@gmail.com. ©Copyright Mong Palatino.)
