Where campaign logistics will be abundant

Last year, we saw diverse efforts to effect a change in our constitution. The objective of such moves was to shift our form of government from presidential to parliamentary.

There was the Peoples' Initiative which, as claimed by its front liners, was a movement coming from the political leaders of the local government units. Municipal and city mayors and councilors as well as provincial governors and their board members were engaged in pushing for peoples' acceptance. They had their trusted men go around their respective areas to get their signatures inked to the petition.

Of course, those opposed to the move charged that the signatures were affixed for wrong reasons claiming either that the administration misled the citizenry into thinking that they signed an innocent document or that certain considerations were given in exchange. Whatever was the truth, one item stood. Those leaders did not say that an immediate benefit of such "initiative" was to allow the elected officials take a base, so to speak. It was somehow labeled as Plan A by observers and strategists alike.

There was the noise generated by the members of the House of Representatives when they decided on amending the fundamental law by way of their convening as a constituent assembly. It became to be known as Plan B. Perhaps because the manner used by our congressmen in pushing for that mode of constitutional amendment might have been taken as a serious derogation of constitutionally allocated powers, it flirted with public condemnation. Only a timely withdrawal by its congressional architects prevented millions of our people from marching down important streets in angry protest.

When the con-ass (what a term!) lost its steam, the political hierarchy of the lower house attempted to resort to Plan C. Aha, mouthing claims that the Filipino people wanted it or that the church pushed for it, Speaker Jose de Venecia, proclaimed that it was time for a constitutional convention. It was clear in his language that it should be done before the polls of May 2007. No one bit it such that Plan C, as it came to be known, is, according to sound public perception, now dead in the water.

With Plans A, B and C failing, we now face the inevitable - the mid term elections. I have to recall those incidents in our country's political life as we approach May 2007. Those plans, despite all the verbose protestations of their being grounded on national interests, were all conceived and attempted for one agendum. I believed that their ultimate goal was not to amend our constitution for national growth. Rather they were designed to prevent a highly probably impeachment against the president.

The battleground in the forthcoming elections will primarily be the congressional seats. I forecast that the administration of Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will pour all its resources in support of its candidates for representatives. Remember, the administration managed to pour taxpayers' money in the "kalsada natin, alaga-an natin program" (I hope my memory does not fail me here) to the 2004 elections. PhilHealth cards were distributed during the campaign but under sanitized schemes. Even the Marcos fund was allegedly used thru the program now identified as having been implemented by former undersecretary Jocjoc Bolante.

Somehow, the administration succeeded in those 2004 expenditures questionable they might have been. Buoyed by the absence of subsequent legal repercussions, this administration may be emboldened to use them and other available sources if only to make sure that it will still have the number of congressmen that can prevent the endorsement of an impeachment complaint to the Senate. The bottom line is that pres. Arroyo must be able to maintain the qualified majority in Congress what will thwart any attempt to impeach her. The posts of other elected officials will come in a far secondary concern for Malacañang. While the president's bets for the lower house will be awash with seemingly inexhaustible funds, the candidates of this administration contesting other positions may feel their faucets drying.