he last "exercise"
mounted by detained rebels officers more or less ensures Gloria Arroyo’s
continued stay in Malacañang. People have clearly resigned themselves to
Gloria’s rule, at least until 2010. They would rather not rock the boat and face
uncertainties through extra-constitutional means of taking power.
At this point, we suppose critics of Gloria should realize
that the people are not ready for another regime change. It’s not that the
people have learned to love Gloria. Her approval and trust ratings are in
negative territory and seemingly consigned to stay there permanently. She is,
however, exiting in three years. People are patient. They can wait.
The last thing Gloria should do now is gloat. The failure of
the rebel officers to generate civilian support does not mean they have accepted
the corruption and insensitivity of the administration. If there’s a way of
throwing out Gloria without the likelihood of triggering violence, the people do
so with alacrity.
Nothing has changed in people’s attitudes after last week.
Many observers are saying that the recent events should
prompt Gloria to undertake honest-to-goodness reforms in her administration. She
should stop the thievery. She should form a unity government to ensure a smooth
transition in 2010 to her successor. She should pay more attention to easing the
lot of the poor than on abstract economic measures.
We don’t see Gloria doing any of these. What we expect is
actually the contrary - greater arrogance in dismissing the calls for reforms.
That’s fine with us as long as her "victory" last week does not go to her head.
She is already suffering from a messianic complex that only she could guarantee
the stability needed for pushing the economy.
The truth of course is that only the military stands in the
way of her overthrow. She owes another one to the military which is prepared to
pay lip service to civilian supremacy as long as it has its way in dealing with
what it sees as the enemies of the state.
Both Gloria and the military could conceivably learn the wrong lesson from
the Peninsula occupation. They have a mutually beneficial partnership. It’s not
a remote possibility that they are already thinking of extending their
partnership beyond 2010. There lies the danger.
