I think the message is clear: The people do not want more of the same incompetents, nincompoops, opportunists, liars, scalawags, grafters, evildoers and seedy characters in government after Ms. Gloria Arroyo goes.

Who among the pretenders to the throne in Malacañang are qualified and capable of ensuring that the people get what they need and want? If none of them are, be warned. They may win the election by means fair or foul, but they may be sure they will get the same treatment the people now accord Arroyo.

***

Speaking of the pretenders, many believe that most, if not all, of them actually want Ms. Arroyo to leave the Palace only in 2010.

They are afraid that with Noli de Castro sitting on the throne, his chances of trashing all comers will be greatly enhanced. The entire government machinery and resources will be at his disposal, not to mention the distinct possibility of Ms. Arroyo giving him all-out support in exchange for the necessary protection from all kinds of charges that will surely come her way.

Makes sense, doesn't it? But doesn't that smack of giving preference to personal interest over the national interest? The majority of the people want change now. You be the judge.

***

The success of the Makati rally lay not so much in the number of people who attended but in the fact that they came from all walks of life - students, teachers, lawyers, businessmen, employees from the public and private sectors, clerics, the rich, the poor.

***

I cringed at the sight of Congressman Jose de Venecia in the forefront of those who attended the mass for Jun Lozada at La Salle Green Hills last Sunday.

Now that he is out of Ms. Arroyo's cabal, he has suddenly turned righteous?

He should just stay in the sidelines from now. He had his chance. He is only courting contempt and ridicule from the people with his obvious attempts at re-engineering himself as a moral reformer.

***

Surely, he must have known his wife met with Rodolfo Noel Lozada, Jr. Yet, Senator Joker Arroyo was daft enough to accuse Lozada of bad faith by allegedly favoring some senators over the others.

When Lozada told him he also met with his wife to seek counsel, Arroyo turned livid, warning the former not to "mess around with my wife."

Shortly after the exchange with Lozada, Arroyo left the Senate hearing room. He must have found it unbearable to stay a minute longer with all eyes looking at him with ridicule, if not disdain.

Arroyo had it coming. He was trying to shield his patroness from being implicated in the commission of a crime. He was trying to defend the indefensible. Quite a change for someone who built a reputation for being a champion of human rights.

Then again, he is no worse than some of his fellow senators for changing color like chameleons whenever it suits their personal interests.

Take Senators Juan Ponce-Enrile and Miriam Defensor-Santiago. They were among the staunchest defenders of Joseph Estrada back in May 2001 when his supporters were storming the gates of Malacañang to bodily oust Ms. Gloria Arroyo.

***

In a press statement, the ZTE Corporation of China said it "reserves the right to seek redress of grievance before all appropriate juridical bodies" for its "continuing vilification by some quarters before the Philippine media."

ZTE should just go ahead and seek redress, instead of making it sound like a warning.

And since ZTE is partly owned by the Chinese government, I believe the latter should also do its part in ferreting out the truth on the controversial deal by conducting its own investigation - in the interest of preserving the good relations between China and the Philippines.

***

The NBI is looking into Lozada's liability for nepotism when, as Philippine Forest Corporation (PFC) president, he hired his own brother Jose Orlando as PFC vice president.

In order not to give the impression that Lozada is being singled out because of his testimony before the Senate on the ZTE-NBN scandal, the NBI should also look at other government agencies, starting with the premier department of the government, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

***

Asked what she would do after 2010, Ms. Arroyo said: "My motto is do what is right, do your best and let God take care of the rest."

Judging from her past action, I think the more appropriate motto would be: "Do what is right for me and my family, do it the best way I can and let God take the rest."

***

The arrest of a US Marine based in Okinawa for reportedly raping a 14-year old Japanese girl brings to mind Lance Corporal Daniel Smith. (In 1995, three US marines also gang-raped a 12-year old girl in that Japanese island. The incident triggered major protests and led to the reduction of the number of US troops stationed there.)

Smith, also a US Marine, was convicted of raping a Filipino woman two years ago, was sent to a Makati jail, then whisked out of jail in the middle of the night with the connivance of the Arroyo regime and deposited to more comfortable quarters within the US Embassy compound.

Five will get you ten Smith is no longer within the confines of the US Embassy. He will be transported back here in time for the next hearing of his case in the Court of Appeals, the date of which will normally be made known to his lawyers days, or even weeks, in advance.

If I'm wrong, I will be more than willing to "back off" his case.

***

The Lozada Saga has afforded many of us respite from our usual boring, if not dreary, daily grind. It gave us moments of love, hate, tears, laughter - a whole range of human emotions.

Above all, Lozada's revelations stirred in many of us a sense of outrage, an all-consuming emotion that, if left unfettered, could wreak havoc on our mental and emotional balance.

Allow me then to divert your attention for a minute from this draining experience by telling you a short story emailed to me by a friend:

A man and a woman who had never met before and were both married to other people, found themselves assigned to the same sleeping room on a trans-continental train.

Though initially embarrassed and uneasy over sharing a room, they were both very tired and fell asleep quickly - he in the upper bunk and she in the lower.

At 1 in the morning, the man leaned down and gently woke the woman saying, "Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to reach into the closet to get me a second blanket? I'm awfully cold."

"I have a better idea," she replied. "Just for tonight, let's pretend that we're married."

"Wow! That's a great idea!" he exclaimed.

"Good," she replied. "Get your own dang blanket."

After a moment of silence, he farted.

The End.

***

Today is the 298th day of Jonas Burgos' disappearance.

I would like to repeat here what I have said before and will keep saying - when all is said and done, what will ultimately do Ms. Arroyo in are the extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances that have taken place during her illegitimate regime.