Last Monday’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) was yet another eventful chapter in President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration not only because of what he said but also what transpired in the leadup to his annual speaking engagement to the country.
There were rumblings that turned into a scramble for the House leadership and when the dust cleared, Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo came out on top, displacing her former transportation secretary and now Davao City lawmaker Pantaleon Alvarez.
The House coup wouldn’t have happened without the Palace’s advance knowledge and administration critics are fearful that Arroyo’s victory will be a portent of things to come—maybe an election victory for former senator Bongbong Marcos?
It didn’t stop there—Arroyo’s sudden ascension into the House leadership completes a 360 degree turn to full recovery from her fall to grace when she was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport while facing various charges.
As some people would say, it’s goodbye to neck braces and wheelchairs forever for Arroyo who probably won’t stop at the House amid plans by the Duterte administration to pursue federalism and Charter change.
Arroyo’s overwhelming victory also sends ominous signals about next year’s elections as fears that election operators won’t be far behind.
But lest we forget, while Arroyo’s victory may represent a return to power for the country’s north or Luzon, the incumbent president from Mindanao should not be trifled with.
True, Duterte owes some support from Arroyo who along with other kingmakers like former senator Manny Villar took a chance on him.
But with anxiety over the credibility of the elections rising with Arroyo’s House speakership and her links to the 2004 election controversy courtesy of former Commission on Elections official Virgilio Garciliano, President Duterte may have the grounds to declare “no elections” or worse, place the country under martial law.
We hope these speculations are nothing more than that. Cebu legislators, whom we bet voted overwhelmingly for Arroyo’s ascension into the country’s third highest post along with some local officials like Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena, are only too happy that she will lead the Lower House with the expectation that they will receive more projects.
With Arroyo’s 10-year-reign and choosing Cebu as venue for her oathtaking for a controversial six-year presidential term she will need all the support she can get for whatever political plans she may have beyond 2022.
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