A skillful handling of the Maguindanao massacre by this administration could be President Gloria M. Arroyo’s (GMA) last opportunity towards redemption. If that happens, the Ampatuans could serve again as GMA’s reliable allies, though this time, they were her unwilling allies unlike in year 2004 where they were complicit and willing accomplices in delivering hundreds of spoiled votes to ensure her victory against her rival, FPJ.
It is a golden opportunity for GMA to rise above partisan politics and salvage her image as corrupt politician. She can forget about running for a congressional seat in her district and devote full time her last remaining months in Malacanang to address the Maguindanao crisis and prove her detractors wrong by putting her erstwhile allies permanently behind bars.
She had already invoked her emergency powers by declaring martial law in the province and her Armed Forces had already put manacles on the members of the clan suspected of having achieved the singular distinction of being able to fashion out instant mass graves for their political opponents as well as some media people and civilians. These were encouraging signs although her detractors remain cynical of her efforts and would see these developments heralding a nationwide emergency rule, mass arrests and incarceration of political dissenters and the possible cancellation of the 2010 presidential elections.
Almost everyone was trying to compete in the inebriating notoriety of this tragedy. The left, headed by Satur Ocampo and his army of red-flag-waving crowds, as well as the trapos and the media’s most pretentious pundits have brought in their collective wisdom or a lack of it and started conjuring up the image of a martial law realities and in the mold of the Marcos bygone era. Only this time, they could not quiet distinguish between the fake ambush of Senator Enrile in 1972 which was made as one of the chief reasons why martial law was declared in that year and the actual slaughter of 57 or so people last month in a place long noted for violence and ruled by ruthless and merciless warlords who can kill with impunity fortified with armory supplied by the same military unit that now put them behind bars. What an incredulous irony!
Unfortunately, the Ampatuan clan is the government’s counterweight to the MILF which had been waging a violent war against the Republic. If you have to put this clan out of the political landscape, you have to anoint another clan to fill up the void to be left by its being temporarily out of power unless you want the MILF and other ragtag groups of violent people that operate in the area rampaging every corner of the resource-rich island of Maguindanao and other Mindanao provinces. Either way, the promise land is always confronted with the choice between the devil and the deep blue sea. It’s a sort of low-intensity conflict if you just allow these Muslims to kill each other rather than bring them united against the entire Armed Forces.
Finding solution to the problem facing Maguindanao right now, aside from rescuing its people from ignorance and abject poverty always poses a challenge to any occupant in Malacanang. In the past, imperial Manila’s predictable response to reign in the violence in the area is to impose its own violence but this time around, the imposition of state violence can be explained facing TV cameras with somber expression of grief that Martial was put in place to bring the perpetrators of this dastardly massacre to justice and to dismantle all the warlords in the area.
Economic woes and unmitigated corruption in office had been the centerpiece of GMA’s presidency but if she plays her cards right in resolving the Maguindanao dilemma and her martial law objective in the area, her nine years of blunders and corruption could end up with one year of public euphoria. The ball is in her court. She could dribble it to fame or remain in the court of infamy.
Popularity: 2% [?]
jcc,
I find myself agreeing with you. Don’t know what the world is coming to.
Joe
GMA will not commit political suicide by raising that veil of redemption.
How we thought one GMA is reading us, even.
Applying a political or military solution to what essentially is an economic problem will run into the same snags. The clans are a way of distributing economic spoils. The government structures are inefficient, inutile (national and local) simply serve as conduits for siphoning taxpayers money.
Economic solutions to economic problems
OIC countries are currently in the process of formulating an ODA-mechanism that will integrate the ARMM’s small shareholders to the Gulf economies food security concerns under the Vision Hijrah 1440 (Year 2015 in the Gregorian Calendar). Negotiations are already ongoing on indentifying the Philippine-based non-profit will serve as Project Management Office.
The banana exports industry provides a sustainable model which was implemented by Datu Toto Paglas. He was able to bring in stability through economic development.
The ARMM small shareholders can become growers of various agricultural products. The produce of the small landholders are consolidated in order to have economies of scale. They are also encouraged to join agribiz cooperatives that will be setup for the purpose of securing 2-year supplier contracts with food wholesalers and retail chains in the Gulf Kingdoms ( eliminating the Manila-based middlemen will generate more revenues for the ARMM small shareholders). A commodity exchange similar to the Minneapolis Grain Exchange will also be setup – and will be independent from the Manila-centric PSE.
The cooperatives will also serve as conduits for Grameen-type microfinancing activites that will provide for the growers needs while they are growing their products. This is complemented by educational programs, among others, that will create a core of professional managers and agribusiness entrepreneurs for the ARMM’ industries.
“…Malacanang to address the Maguindanao crisis and prove her detractors wrong by putting her erstwhile allies permanently behind bars.”-JCC
Agree, JCC. But it will not happen. The erstwhile allies have all the goodies against her related to the 2004 presidential election. Malacanang can kill all those erstwhile allies, but will not and cannot just permanently put them behind bars. Too risky.
The Ampatuans know too much about Gloria Arroyo’s Election
Cheating. Allies are now turned into enemies. Like Marcos
and Enrile/Ramos in the last EDSA I. History seems to repeat itself in the Philippines. We watch what can happen. It could
be interesting.
I dont want to be in her place. Even, if you give me Billions
of pesos. It is not worth your Peace of Mind and your sanity…
The Ampatuans could be a heavy weight on Gloria Arroyo’s neck.
If she commits a grave mistake in handling the situation. It
could sink her regime. And, it could aggravate the situation in
Mindanao. It is a crissis in the making. We watch for developments.
Gloria’s strong republic is a whimpering blundering kitten.
hahahahaha….
why would it be such a bonus for GMA? Justice is expected no matter what because the crime was horrible. she has tons of pressure too. it wont redeem her. if justice is not served, it will just make things much much worse for her. will anybody here change their opinions about her just because the ampatuans get what they deserve?