I was as surprised as everyone else to see the drama unfold last Monday when the much-maligned, once-wheelchair-bound, ex-president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was elected as the first female Speaker of the House and by an overwhelming majority at that.
No need to lament the sudden cancellation of ‘House of Cards’ due to Kevin Spacey’s homosexual shenanigans; after all, there’s Philippine politics with its unpredictable twists and plots.
Hate her or not, you have to hand it to her: this sudden and unexpected ‘come from the front’ (not behind) sneak into the seat of power was simply brilliant. To muster 189 votes in just a weekend of whispering (and no horse-trading at all) is nothing short of a peaceful coup.
I do not agree with Mayor Tomas Osmeña that this signals a shift in the political alignment and a demotion of PDP-Laban from the national electoral arena. On the contrary, it would be naïve of anyone to think that Pres. Rodrigo Duterte did not bless this coup. What has happened is pure and simple realignment of personalities, not political parties, willing to forward the Duterte agenda without any pretense at legislative independence. Former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, simply put, just had too many enemies in Congress. His personality, not his politics, did him in.
This was, hence, a simple house-keeping event approved by Malacañang, tired of hearing stories about Alvarez, otherwise GMA would not have mustered those 189 loyal Duterte votes. Time and again, Pres. Duterte has proven true to his words: do not try him because he can always end personal friendships anytime.
I agree with political pundits who say that GMA is apparently inching closer to a possible comeback in Malacañang should the proposed federal constitution pass muster in Congress or in a plebiscite. But that does not mean that she will win. Those two things: getting ahead of the race and winning it are two different things.
But the odds are now stacked in GMA’s favor. If the Liberal Party foists Vice-President Leni Robredo, Arroyo’s vast and now-repaired political machinery will be daunting to say the least. And if the PDP-Laban and its allies do what the Liberal Party is alleged to have brazenly carried out in the 2016 elections (i.e., using the conditional cash transfer to get votes, harnessing the police to protect its candidates, and abusing the power to suspend local officials during the election season), then your guess is as good as mine. The Hindus call this karma.
Let us see if indeed this karma that people now talk about in the wake of Arroyo’s return to power will extend also to Cebu.
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