President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday, delivered her State of the Nation Address (SONA) and as usual it was met by massive protest from those who oppose her. But unlike in previous years the groups that marched along Commonwealth avenue is a hodgepodge of different interests, ideology, and motivation. These groups are all united in pushing for GMA to resign but they disagree on what exactly they want afterwards.
JV and Jinggoy obviously want to oust Gloria in the hopes of returning to power or at least get some vindication for their fall from grace. The FPJ camp on the other hand simply want to oust Gloria because they believe that the presidency was stolen from them. It’s interesting however how they see Susan Roces in all these. Do they want her to succeed GMA or worse make Rex Cortez, President. The crowd they muster are the hard core Erap or FPJ supporters along with the paid “hakot” crowds from the different squatter colonies around Metro Manila. These groups power should not be underestimated for they are the same group who stormed the gates of Malacañang and laid siege to it for several hours on that faithful Labor day otherwise known as EDSA Tres.
Then there is the political left. These are the Labor Groups, Leftwing organizations with Socialist, Marxist, Leninnist, or Maoist ideological leanings. This includes the Party list, student groups, urban poor groups, farmers, fisher folk, peasant, and proletarian, groups. This includes both the reaffirmist and rejectionist camps of the left. Though battle hardened street protesters, these groups have seemingly accepted their weakness in numbers by making an alliance with the trapos and pro Erap group to oust GMA, even if they were on the same side as the ones who overthrew Erap. What they want is for everyone to resign and in the chaos and power vacuum that will result, they hope to lead the establishment of a revolutionary transition Government.
The only other blocks or interest groups who could field such a large number of people are the large and well organized religious groups namely the Iglesia ni Cristo and Eddie Villabueva’s Jesus is Lord movement. These are the only groups who could muster one or maybe even two million warm bodies in so called prayer rallies. Though their effectiveness is still unproven when the need for tougher street protest comes to bear.
On the other hand the Lakas party has resurrected the cha-cha in order to give the people a palatable alternative and give GMA a graceful way out. They propose a shift in to a federal, unicameral, and Parliamentary form of government. I fear this option because I simply do not want the master trapo himself, Jose De Venecia to become Prime Minister.
That faithful Friday when Cory Aquino called for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (PGMA) to resign and when a significant number of cabinet officials expressed their intention to resign as they claimed that they were merely preempted by the President when she asked them all to resign, was meant to be the turning point. It seemed orchestrated and intended to nudge the GMA to resign or the people to come out in restaging of the EDSA brand of people power. But it was not to be. The critical mass that a lot of people hoped for and that GMA feared did not materialize. This is because the church refused to call the faithful to the streets and the middle class did not want to have anything to do with the crowds that were gathered on Ayala ave. in Makati. Middle class apathy or maybe we’ve had enough of revolution.
It seems we now have a stalemate with all sides unable to muster the support and the numbers that would allow them to grab power. Thus they are left with no other choice but to once again slug it out in the media and try out the different options like the truth commission and impeachment. Gloria got a reprieve of sorts and the different opposition groups find themselves regrouping after the initial clash. Would there be a coup? A compromise? Or more of the same shit as what we have already seen? What will happen next is anyone’s guess. We live in interesting albeit dangerous times.
JV and Jinggoy obviously want to oust Gloria in the hopes of returning to power or at least get some vindication for their fall from grace. The FPJ camp on the other hand simply want to oust Gloria because they believe that the presidency was stolen from them. It’s interesting however how they see Susan Roces in all these. Do they want her to succeed GMA or worse make Rex Cortez, President. The crowd they muster are the hard core Erap or FPJ supporters along with the paid “hakot” crowds from the different squatter colonies around Metro Manila. These groups power should not be underestimated for they are the same group who stormed the gates of Malacañang and laid siege to it for several hours on that faithful Labor day otherwise known as EDSA Tres.
Then there is the political left. These are the Labor Groups, Leftwing organizations with Socialist, Marxist, Leninnist, or Maoist ideological leanings. This includes the Party list, student groups, urban poor groups, farmers, fisher folk, peasant, and proletarian, groups. This includes both the reaffirmist and rejectionist camps of the left. Though battle hardened street protesters, these groups have seemingly accepted their weakness in numbers by making an alliance with the trapos and pro Erap group to oust GMA, even if they were on the same side as the ones who overthrew Erap. What they want is for everyone to resign and in the chaos and power vacuum that will result, they hope to lead the establishment of a revolutionary transition Government.
The only other blocks or interest groups who could field such a large number of people are the large and well organized religious groups namely the Iglesia ni Cristo and Eddie Villabueva’s Jesus is Lord movement. These are the only groups who could muster one or maybe even two million warm bodies in so called prayer rallies. Though their effectiveness is still unproven when the need for tougher street protest comes to bear.
On the other hand the Lakas party has resurrected the cha-cha in order to give the people a palatable alternative and give GMA a graceful way out. They propose a shift in to a federal, unicameral, and Parliamentary form of government. I fear this option because I simply do not want the master trapo himself, Jose De Venecia to become Prime Minister.
That faithful Friday when Cory Aquino called for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (PGMA) to resign and when a significant number of cabinet officials expressed their intention to resign as they claimed that they were merely preempted by the President when she asked them all to resign, was meant to be the turning point. It seemed orchestrated and intended to nudge the GMA to resign or the people to come out in restaging of the EDSA brand of people power. But it was not to be. The critical mass that a lot of people hoped for and that GMA feared did not materialize. This is because the church refused to call the faithful to the streets and the middle class did not want to have anything to do with the crowds that were gathered on Ayala ave. in Makati. Middle class apathy or maybe we’ve had enough of revolution.
It seems we now have a stalemate with all sides unable to muster the support and the numbers that would allow them to grab power. Thus they are left with no other choice but to once again slug it out in the media and try out the different options like the truth commission and impeachment. Gloria got a reprieve of sorts and the different opposition groups find themselves regrouping after the initial clash. Would there be a coup? A compromise? Or more of the same shit as what we have already seen? What will happen next is anyone’s guess. We live in interesting albeit dangerous times.
