Barangay captains' assembly. A skirt shown

The meeting among the barangay executives recently held in a plush resort gave flesh to certain perceptions. While it enjoyed a good cover as a regular function of the association, it, nevertheless, showed its true colors when political leaders, true to their predictable nature, descended. There was, for instance, the Honorable Vice Mayor Michael Rama, who, for apparent lack of substantive preparation, campaigned for his re-election saying he was not aiming for the mayoralty. Of course, the mayor, an inexhaustible source of weird ideas, the latest of which is converting our barangay captains into police captains and the two congressmen with their established brand of patronage politics, came.

It is my perception that the assembly indicated a far more important political development in the country. It showed that the efforts of Her Excellency, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, to revise the constitution, clandestined as the handiwork of few sectors, is not about to achieve her Machiavellian objective within the time frame she had in mind

I have always believed that the multi-pronged moves to effect a charter change such as the Consultative Commission, the Constituent Assembly and the Peoples' Initiative have one distinct goal. Unfortunately, despite the lip service of the president, it is not to pursue her economic reforms neither to rectify a social order by transforming our system. They have been most vigorously pursued to thwart the perdition of the president. Yes, they targeted to skirt the possible filing of new articles of impeachment presumably at the opening of the next congress. How come?

With constitutional revisions succeeding, there would be no more congress where the accepted process of removing a sitting president could be initiated. The new unicameral body, as designed in the various proposals coming from everywhere except those constitutionally tasked to do so, would be under the baton of the president.

Theoretically, the president would not be acting pursuant to the 1987 constitution and so, the impeachment process would be irrelevant. And as a coup d'grace, the president would have the power to name the new members of the conceived parliament to add numbers to those coming from the ranks of the congressmen. That way, a pronounced majority which in parliament would hold sway, would be insured. Then, with a transition government in place and as suggested, the elections for the officials of local government units would have to be deferred.

With the political gods of Cebu City firing their salvo of a campaign under not-so-very-well concealed disguises, they must know something ordinary mortals, like me, are unaware of. Their actuations simply reveal their acceptance that the time line of the president's gambits will expire without Malacañang's getting its objective. July, the month when Congress opens its session will come without a constitutional revision. The parliament, pushed by the president's minions and funded by taxpayers money, will not be formed within the schedule envisioned by the powers that be.

Further, when our political leaders hovered over the barangay captains, they have demonstrated the reality of a forthcoming election. As calendared, it will be held in May 2007. To them, the campaign season has begun. Even in the absence of contenders, publicized or perceived, they have, as part of their feudalistic practice, taken the shameful head start. What better place to commence applying pressure to the barangay leaders than in a forum, also funded by people's money, to where they have been herded.

Being privileged to address the grass roots leaders, these representatives have taken the occasion to verbalize the obvious. For example, they could not fail reminding our barangay officials that the shirts of their barangay tanods, fortunately bearing the congressmen's hallowed names, have been paid for by the legislators. Or some haphazardly-planned and sub-standard asphalting works in the sitios have been constructed with the congressmen's pork barrel. Of course, their carefully prepared statements do not carry the fact that such funds are, indeed, people's money.

Aha, these are political signs of the time which the president should consider. Her own people have conceded a reality which, instead of advancing her efforts, may allow the people to think her luck has run out.