Gloria Mac Should Not Rush

Politics is timing. Those with a knack for political timing make it big. Often, the opportunities are fleeting. A hot politician can be a "has been" rather quickly. There are also times when an overeager politician strikes the iron too soon and that's as bad as being a little late. Timing must be just right.

So, why is everybody egging Gloria to leave the Cabinet and be a full time opposition leader? As it happens, Gloria is right in playing it cool. Going abroad for an extended period while the political pot boiled back home was a touch of genius or luck or both. It now seems that anti-Erap forces misread their cues. The reality is, people may have their problems with Erap but they are far from being fed up.

Anyone who watches Pulso: Aksyon Balita will not fail to notice how the common man feels about the political situation today. Sure, he now has misgivings about Erap's ability to curb cronyism and alleviate poverty or make a difference in their lives. But the man on the street also knows another president will face the same big problems and would need more time to turn things around. In short, the common man or at least those interviewed in the newscast are willing to give him more time.

Despite the continuing decline in the President's ratings in the two major opinion polls, it seems people are not yet ready to go with Senator Tito Guingona who asked for the President's resignation. My feeling is, the political pot will continue to boil until it is time to go full steam ahead and campaign for the mid-term election.

But Gloria Mac will have to make up her mind soon enough. Will she stay with Lakas or will she merge her Kampi with Lammp? Remember she was only a guest candidate in the Lakas ticket. She can decide if her political future is better assured with Lammp. Or she can launch an independent bid under the banner of Kampi.

In fact, I think she might be better off dissociating herself from both Lakas and Lammp. Lakas, given its current leadership (or lack of it) is a paper party. Lakas is all washed out. If it couldn't win the election with the incumbent in Malacañang behind it, how can it win now that it no longer has clout in terms of pork and the like? Lakas has also not yet been fully deodorized of such scandals as Clark Centennial, etc. On the other hand, the disaffection of the voters with Lammp may reach fever pitch as the campaign for May 2001 heats up.

A brand new party powered by the high approval rating of Gloria Mac may be in a better position to make a good showing next year. I have been hearing reports that independent tickets may be formed that will be composed of the best from both Lakas and Lammp with a generous sprinkling of independents. Gloria can decide to ride on this third force and call it Kampi.

For now, let Gloria Mac be. She will resign from the Cabinet soon enough but the timing has got to be right. Look what happens when people get impatient and try to force things even when the situation is still not quite ripe. Erap seemed to be on the ropes until a week ago when the opposition blundered with their premature calls for resignation and impeachment.

Gloria Mac seems a more astute politician than many columnists and even Lakas senators and congressmen put together. She is playing her cards very close to her chest. She will make her announcement at the right time. And she will not be restricted to choosing between Erap and Lakas. Laos na ang Lakas and Erap has lost almost all of his political capital. Watch Kampi develop in the next few months.

Another consultant has reported to President Estrada something we knew all along: that Filipino high school students are not prepared for college. The expert told President Erap that the deficiency is because we only have 10 years of pre-college education compared to the 12 in neighboring countries.

Well, I think the problem is deeper than that. Our students are not prepared for college because their elementary and high school education had been lousy. You can add one or even two more years and we will just have more of the same so long as we have the same ill-trained teachers and inadequate facilities.

The public school system has all but collapsed. Ask the UP guys. They are having problems with the products of the public school system. Not only does UP have to lower standards to accommodate more of them, they are also conducting remedial classes so they can catch up with basics like English and Math. Many private schools aren't that better, specially those that are mainly for profit.

Before government starts implementing recommendations like adding another year, which is a burden to parents, they should first work on improving public education. The problem is we have a bureaucracy at DECS that is more concerned with bagging illegal personal fortunes at the expense of ill-trained and ill-equipped teachers and of course, the poor students who sometimes do not even have a classroom.

As for college education, the diploma mills have made that a joke. Yet, unless we have first class education, we will be left behind in the new information economy where brain power is the most important capital. Frankly, I don't think this administration has what it takes to reform DECS, CHED and bring the standards of education up to par with our neighbors.

One more year just isn't going to do it.

What is this report that several container loads of Japanese junk had been imported again and landed in Cebu? ABS-CBN reports the illegal cargo was brought in under the guise of prefab housing components. But initial reports indicate the shipment contained asbestos, a banned substance that is a known carcinogen.

In fact, asbestos is so dangerous it requires special handling. It has been taken off the list of usable construction materials in the developed countries. That is why they have problems disposing of asbestos in older constructions.

Whoever tried to get this caper through ought to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Reader Rio Cachola forwarded this one by e-mail.

Outside of the Manila Hotel, a Japanese tourist gets in a cab and tells the driver to drive him to the airport. On their way, a car zooms by and the Japanese goes, "Aaah Toyota, made in Japan... very fast!" And then another car zooms by and the Japanese goes "Aaah Nissan, made in Japan...very fast!" And then another, "Aaah Mitsubishi, made in Japan...very fast!"

By this time the Pinoy cabbie's getting tired of his passenger's nationalistic pride. Upon arriving at the airport the cabbie tells his passenger "400 pesos please." The Japanese goes "400 pesos? It's not that far from the hotel!"

The cabbie's reply, "Aaah, taxi meter, made in Japan... very fast!" (Boo Chanco's e-mail address is [email protected])