Mike & Chiz

Lucid Interval : Spliced for life

Rowena Guanzon rguanzon@inquirer.com.ph
INQ7.net

THERE is a saying that "whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad with power." In the case of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's loyal henchmen, that should be shortened by omitting the last two words. Maybe the megalomania toxins in Malacañang can really addle the brain. Add to that all the narcissism particles in the air that one can inhale or take in by osmosis even while doing the most mundane thing as trying to look intelligent, and you have Cabinet members who are no match for Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man."

After Secretary Mike Defensor's presentation of his revelations of the spliced tape, Malacañang is now in extreme danger of really being called a nuthouse, and his boss as a woman who is now "spliced for life." This administration is going down in history not only as the most despised, but also as the most laughed at. It should not insult further the intelligence of the people who can see through their shenanigans. Its attempts to win back the public's attention are hilarious, but this latest act of Defensor is murderous. It is the blade that strikes the deathblow to the administration's heart. After this, Mike Defensor will never be the same again.

Defensor said that the American audio expert paid by him said that the tape was spliced. In the Inquirer yesterday, this expert said he said no such thing. To top it all, Defensor's favorite audio expert, Jonathan Tiongco, is someone not even Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Angelo Reyes and the National Bureau of Investigation, loyal supporters of Gloria Arroyo, will touch with a 10-foot pole. After this, all other attempts of Gloria Arroyo's men (thank goodness the women are staying out of it) will be ridiculed no end. The advice that comes to my mind is what our law professor used to say when students cannot answer during recitation -- "go home and plant camote."

Gloria Arroyo will not resign despite her negative ratings in the polls and said she welcomes an impeachment. She chooses to govern a people who do not want her, and knowing her politics only too well, submits instead to the will of their representatives. The people, the church and civil society are supposed to be pacified with the impeachment as the final battleground, yet Gloria's boys are throwing every monkey wrench they can get hold of to kill the impeachment before it can begin.

Anticipating the impeachment, Defensor would not have made his latest attempt without Gloria Arroyo's knowledge, approval or acquiescence. The motive is of course suspect. They tried, but failed, to create a doubt in the people's minds if it was indeed Gloria Arroyo in a taped conversation with then-election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, who up to now cannot be found. As we lawyers and our courts would say, flight is a sign of guilt.

Why else would Defensor do this so late in the day? It is because they think they are one step ahead of the impeachment. They also want to influence the thinking of the undecided or independent minded members of the House of Representatives. In other words, by propaganda, they are trying to influence the jury. They know (if they know not, why, they are suffering from delusion) that even before the impeachment could start, Gloria Arroyo has lost the people's trust. The impeachment is a test if our democratic institutions work. It is the area where both Gloria Arroyo and the people agree the issue should be settled.

Unfortunately, the representatives of the people in the House of Representatives are still searching their conscience, if they have any. While they are searching their conscience, the price of fuel and electricity has gone up, and very soon, the prices of basic commodities. The political tolerance of the poor will be further tested, even when many of them think that politics in this country is the game of the rich and the corrupt and whoever sits in Malacañang will cheat and steal anyway.

Defensor's latest caper is viewed with both ridicule and contempt because everyone knows he is totally loyal to Gloria Arroyo and they will do anything to stay in power. Instead of running the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, he has demoted himself to the unglamorous position of Gloria's propagandist. What aggravates his problem is that this is not the first time that Gloria Arroyo's loyal henchmen have tried to fool the people. The first attempt was Chavit Singson's display of technological ignorance, and now, Defensor's display of unabashed arrogance. Gloria Arroyo has admitted that she called up a Commission on Elections official and apologized for it, hoping that by doing so, the problem would go away.

While his boss used admission to pacify her critics, Defensor is attempting to create another defense, and that is, that Gloria Arroyo did not say the damaging words, especially the "yung dagdag, yung dagdag" ["the padding, the padding"]. Before he makes more blunders, Defensor should instead concentrate on saving our last remaining forests and hunt down all the illegal loggers.

These recent events show that moving heaven and earth to stay in power can cause dyslexia, and for some cabinet members, it is probably dementia. Gloria Arroyo's loyal henchmen are incapable of reading the people's mind. If they want to read some, they can go to the blog of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, where I found this blogger who compares Defensor with House Minority Floor Leader Francis Escudero:

"Si Mike Defensor ay tulad ng isang mababaw na ilog, masyadong maingay, pero si Chiz ay isang matining na ilog, malalim at tahimik. Si Chiz ay simbolo ng kabataang may integridad at prinsipyo. Si Mike D ay simbolo ng batang TRAPO na maagang na corrupt ng kanyang amo, si Chiz ay magiging senador at posibleng maging Presidente. Si Mike D ay…. ewan ko kung saan pa ito pupulutin, siguro maging DJ na lang ito sa karera ng kabayo."

[Mike Defensor is like a shallow river, too noisy, but Chiz [Escudero] is a serene river, deep and silent. Chiz is a symbol of youth with integrity and principle. Mike is a symbol of the young traditional politician who has been corrupted early by his boss. Chiz will become a senator and possibly become president. Mike is … I don't know where he will end up, maybe he will become a horserace announcer.]

That hurts.