Who sez GMA is demoralized?

Everything is deteriorating into politics.

Hark the Herald Angels Sing is already being broadcast on the airwaves and in shopping malls (to drum up pre-Christmas sales). But the Angels are scarce heard amid the political name-calling and bombastic boasting below.

Roco launches candidacy! Drilon hems and haws. Biazon jumps ship (but only takes "leave of absence" from the LDP, just in case, in the future, he may decide to swim back). Ping Lacson vows that, if not chosen Opposition bet, he will not slide down to vice president. Will he push on to run for president then . . . or slide back to the Senate?

The swelling refrain from the ranks of aghast foreign businessmen, academe, intelligentsia, and The Establishment is that FPJ is dumb, dumber, dumbest. Sus, they’re even blaming him for the disastrous slide of the Peso. What’s Ang Panday got to do with the peso, when he hasn’t even been elected yet . . . or may never be elected? We’re always blaming somebody else.

President GMA brought all this premature politicking down on herself, of course. She’s been politicking since December 30 last year, when she declared she was through with politics, and vowed not to seek re-election. But, by golly, that was in December 2002. Tomorrow is the first day of December 2003. And soon will come May 2004. Beware the Ides of May, GMA! See, it rhymes, although her turn-about has neither rhyme or reason.

There are those who maintain that she lied on December 30, 2002. That she always intended to post for re-election, and had tried to foist on all of us a Grand Deception. (Or a Miniature Deception, if you wish to nitpick on word description.)

Anyway, that Rizal Day pledge is Gone With the Wind. She’s running so hard, she’s attending every function, movie premiere (Chavit whispered to her, "There – I shot the guy in the head!"), every show, every shindig. But what the heck: She was doing that before, too.

The entry into the fray of da King, alias Fernando Poe, Jr. (alias Ronnie) has apparently demoralized many of her retainers and courtiers, who’re seeing the prospect of their perks, privileges, profits, puffery, pa-yabang, and pa-yaman being snatched away, if GMA falls and some mortal foe like Poe wins.

Or it has gotten them short-tempered. Is it true that Presidential Crony Tom Alcantara shouted at and scolded business leaders Donald Dee and Mike Varela? Salamabit, Tommy. What a bitchy show of temper, when Malacañang in these troubled times (for it) ought to be exhibiting that Dale Carnegie approach: Winning friends and influencing people. Power, it is well established, doesn’t just corrupt; it intoxicates. But what creates an even more dangerous form of delirium may be the thought of losing power.

* * *

The word going around to the effect that President Macapagal-Arroyo, herself, has been "demoralized" by FPJ’s unexpected jump into the race, on other hand, seems to be somewhat exaggerated. Obviously, she was shaken. But it’s too early to be demoralized. There’s nothing like being cocooned by a cordon sanitaire of sycophants to insulate one at the top from – well, the grim possibilities of an upset.

Remember: Up to midnight of the very last day, the generals – led by then Armed Forces Chief of Staff Angie Reyes – were swearing undying loyalty to their commander-in-chief, President Joseph Ejercito Estrada. The following day, they were at the EDSA Dos stage to show they had rejected Erap and were going for Gloria. (Some of them even thought of going for themselves.)

Wasn’t this a mutiny ala Oakwood, but on a grander, two-to four-star scale? When does a mutiny become an act of patriotism, and a blow for democracy instead of an act of betrayal and treason? If and when it succeeds.

Last Thursday night, this writer went to Malacañang Park to join my wife in attending the book-launching of BARO, an attractive picture book on Philippine Fabric and Fashion, put together by one of our STAR Columnists, Mons (for Monserrat) Romulo-Tantoco, daughter of our dear friends, Lovely Tecson-Romulo and Bert Romulo, who just happens, of course, to be Executive Secretary.

To my horror, when I got to the colorful affair sponsored by the Cabinet Spouses Foundation, the Senate Spouses Foundation, the Congressional Spouses Foundation and the Metro Manila Mayors’ Spouses Foundation, I found myself in the midst of all those Power Puff matrons and other glorious girls and ladies in glittering ternos, while Bert and I looked like bartenders in our conservative business suits.

A graceful speech was delivered, among other brief remarks, by Marides Carlos-Fernando, who wrote the Foreword for that interesting book (none of the ternos, naturally, fit me) and just happens to be Mayor of Marikina and spouse – the buzzword of the evening – of Vice Presidential candidate and Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando. (Although he is a brave "Bayani" and a worthy candidate, having cleaned up the sidewalks of Metro Manila and tried to bring order into the chaos of Metro traffic, an almost impossible dream, Bayani F. himself didn’t have the guts to show up and cope with all those overpowering ladies.)

The star of the evening, though, was still La Presidenta herself, who sat there, completely unruffled, and smiling her patented smile – in a blue gown, but not with a blue face. She looked serene, shook every hand, posed for every photo, as though there were not a care or FPJ in the world. (Why, she didn’t even bother to put on her make-up.)

So there.

* * *

Since I’m name-dropping like mad, I guess I’ll have to mention that I also spoke with deposed President Erap last Thursday. (Busy, busy.) Erap was ebullient over the fresh air and sunshine in his new . . . er, location. Probably, part of the ebullience was over FPJ having been convinced to enter the lists.

Would an FPJ victory be good for Estrada? That sort of question is not worth asking since you already know the answer. Would an FPJ administration be as . . . uh, good as an Estrada one? Answer that yourself.

What bothers me, of course, is that around all the Opposition candidates, one spots the Bad Guys of yesterday's politics. This is balanced by the fact that around GMA, one daily sees the Bad Guys of today’s politics. The Haves versus the Have-Nots, and the Wanna-be-Agains. If these glimpses don’t turn you into a cynic, it’s because you are a cynic already.

Erap confirmed that he’s having second thoughts about going to the United States to have that leg operation owing to the warnings of Feng Shui experts, who told him that every Philippine President who went to the US for "treatment" never came home again, but died there. They cited Manuel L. Quezon and Ferdinand E. Marcos. Susmariosep, isn’t that coincidence a cause for hesitation?

In any event, it’s not true that the GMA Administration is ready to let Estrada go to the US for medical reasons or whatever. While Malacañang has been making encouraging noises, the Palace – according to insiders over there – has been hinting to the Americans that their Consulate should "refuse" the ex-President a visa.

So, Erap is playing a waiting game. Not Waiting for Godot, but perhaps for Poe.

* * *

The US President sprang a happy surprise on homesick US soldiers in Iraq by suddenly appearing in their midst to share a Thanksgiving turkey dinner with them. The top-secret Bush "sneak" trip to Baghdad is being billed as a public relations coup. I think it’s far more than that: It was a George Dubya Bush "straight from the heart" expedition. To my mind, it’s the sort of impulsive thing Dubya does which, for all his pratfalls – both verbal and actual – separates him from the common herd of politician, just as certain obvious things separate the men from the boys.

If there’s anything for which Bush Jr. can be faulted, it’s sincerity. Sure, for security’s sake he fooled everyone, including Mom and Dad who were expecting him to sit down with them for a Thanksgiving Dinner at the Crawford Ranch.

When a British Airlines pilot spotted an aircraft suspiciously looking like US Air Force One over the dark Atlantic and sent over the radio query: "Are you Air Force One?", the Bush pilot promptly replied, "No."

I like the pure theater in which L. Paul Bremer, the US Administrator in Iraq, introduced his surprise guest, when the time came for the President’s "Thanksgiving message" to be read to the troops at their function, so far from home. Who better to deliver it, Bremer indicated, than the President himself? – And out bounced Bush from behind a curtain with a well-crafted line worthy of the late Bob Hope: "I was just looking for a warm meal somewhere. Thanks for inviting me to dinner!"

There he was, in the flesh, sporting a 1st Armored Division patch (reminiscent of Gen. George S. Patton’s 3rd Army in the drive into Nazi Germany). What a thrill it must have been for the amazed, then cheering soldiers, young men and women so far from the warm family table at home! Their "commander-in-chief" had come, he boomed, to "thank you for your service, we’re proud of your!"

Propaganda coup? Far better than that, a coup of the heart.

For Thanksgiving is, for Americans, the most beloved feast of the year – even more than Christmas or Easter. It is when all feet head for "home", and families gather for prayer and feasting, and gratitude for all the blessings of the past year.

"It’s got to be a lonely moment for them," Bush had said, afterwards, explaining his dangerous caper into the heartland of conflict, in which every Arab trigger-finger itched to "total" the President of the United States, Inshallah. "I thought it was important to send that message that we care for them (the troops) and we support them strongly."

That’s leadership. Was it in pursuit of re-election? Politicians will be politicians. But I firmly believe it was, beyond that, vintage Dubya. He’s surely hated by many, just as he’s loved – but neither consideration, in my estimation, moved him that night. It was simply his conviction, demonstrated time and again, that in everything, every undertaking must be made with a whole heart.

As Stephen Decatur said, perhaps foolishly: "My country, right or wrong."