The Vice President landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport from a trip to Europe and addressed a large enthusiastic crowd. "My beloved countrymen, after prayer and discernment, I have left the cabinet of the administration to join the true cabinet of the people," the Vice President said. "As a public servant and as an individual person, I believe it is my duty to do what is right and do my best, and then let God take care of the rest. We must show the world that the Filipino of EDSA is still with us. His spirit is alive. He has not lost his moral bearings. He will put his house in order. My faith in God is absolute. If we work together, we will bring our country back on the road to propriety, stability, and progress." The people were enthralled. Hallelujah! A messiah has finally arrived.
The Vice President then outlined a program of government that would converge on four core beliefs: "(1) We must be bold in our national ambitions, so that our challenge must be that within a decade, we will win the fight against poverty; (2) We must improve moral standards in government and society, in order to provide a strong foundation for good governance; (3) We must change the character of our politics, in order to create a fertile ground for true reforms. Our politics of personality and patronage must give way to a new politics of party programs and a process of dialogue with the people; and (4) Finally, I believe in leadership by example. We should promote solid traits such as work ethic and a dignified lifestyle, matching action to rhetoric, performing rather than grandstanding."
Those were the words of then Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on October 17, 2000 when then President Joseph Estrada was besieged for a series of corruption scandals. Arroyo was riding high on the crest of a popular movement to oust Estrada. Three months later, Estrada stepped down and turned the government over to Arroyo.
Sad to say, Arroyo's government did not go anywhere close to the way she painted it seven years ago. She finished Estrada's term with abysmally lackluster performance. Within a year after she won the 2004 presidential elections, the "Hello Garci" and Jueteng scandals were exposed. Calls for her resignation spread like prairie fire. Former President Fidel V. Ramos rescued her from the brink of collapse. She survived; however, her credibility and integrity were eroded beyond repair and she lost the respect of the people.
Like a can of worms, scandal after scandal crawled out into the open: the Joc-Joc Bolante fertilizer scam, Mike Arroyo's "Jose Pidal" bank account, the Nani Perez power plant deal, the Diosdado Macapagal Highway overprice, extrajudicial killings, Arroyo's secret bank account in Germany exposed by Senator Cayetano, the COMELEC automation fiasco, North Rail project, NAIA-3, Venable contract, ZTE National Broadband Network, Cyber-Ed Project, and the recent wholesale bribery of congressmen and governors. The list goes on and on.
Looking back to the four core beliefs that Arroyo espoused seven years ago, she achieved not a single point: (1) She promised that within a decade she'll win the fight against poverty. A survey conducted by the Social Weather Station (SWS) last February revealed that one in every five Filipino families or 3.4 million households -- a record high of 19% -- suffered from "involuntary hunger" in the first quarter at least once. SWS also reported that hunger has been at double digits since June 2004. What that means is that hunger doubled since she took over the presidency. In March 2007, Fr. Shay Cullen, in his column "Reflections," said that "hunger is not the lack of food, but the lack of money to buy it." In other words, poverty is the cause of hunger. Further, he said, "the roots of poverty are in the dictatorship of the elite." Indeed, the rich became richer and the poor became poorer during her administration.
2) She promised to improve moral standards in government and society. Recently, Bishop Angel Lagdameo, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, stated: "Our country is not only suffering from economic bankruptcy but also moral bankruptcy which, disappointingly, is being shown by our leaders." Other bishops followed with demands that Arroyo resign on grounds of moral turpitude. The Philippine Council of Churches, the largest network of evangelical and Protestant churches in the country, deplored the "culture of corruption in government" and said that majority of Filipinos are living in poverty. Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV -- supported by prominent political leaders -- started an online petition www.petitiononline.com/snap08 calling for the resignation of President Arroyo and Vice President Noli de Castro. The petition stated that Arroyo "has completely lost her moral authority to govern this country" and called for a snap election within 60 days.
3) She promised to change the character of politics in order to create a fertile ground for true reforms. Instead, what Arroyo created was a fertile ground for graft and corruption at all levels of government. Instead of reforming the government, she deformed it into a monstrosity. Today, the Philippines is branded as the most corrupt country in Asia.
4) She promised to lead by example and promote solid traits such as work ethic and a dignified lifestyle. But the record shows that her leadership style bred and nurtured corruption and decadent lifestyles for her family members and high-ranking officials in her administration.
Arroyo's dismal failure and egregious disregard -- and disrespect -- for the people's sentiments should be grounds to abrogate her mandate of government. In six and a half years of usurped authority, Arroyo is embroiled in a quagmire of corruption and deception. She implemented ineffective programs and projects which only fed the voracious appetite of kleptocrats in her government. Indeed, as several bishops and political leaders have stated, Arroyo no longer has the moral authority to lead the people. Under Arroyo's leadership -- and skullduggery -- the country is on the road to perdition. It will no longer be the "Sick Man of Asia" but will soon become the "Somalia of Asia" where anarchy would be the order -- or disorder -- of the day and warlords reign supreme in their fiefdoms..
It's time for Arroyo to face the music. It's time for the Filipino of EDSA to put his house in order. It's high time for the Motherland's redemption from moral decay. And, once again, it's time for mass action.
(PerryDiaz@gmail.com)