A lame duck president?

After her SONA talks were heard from observers that PGMA would be a lame duck president during her remaining years. They pointed out, among others, that the Senate is now controlled by the opposition in view of which any initiative she would take would likely be blocked by that body. Shortage of time is also thought to work against her. With only three years to go major projects, they said, could not be completed before she bows out in 2010.

These, plus the matter of political game play, which is certain to intensify a year or two from now, are believed to be serious drawbacks for a successful three-year governance.

To a certain extent, these are plausible observations. An anti-administration Senate can be an obstacle to the plans of Pasig Office. Whatever legislations crafted in the Lower House in support of Malacañang's development initiatives are likely to gather dust in that body, assuming obstructionism becomes its temper. But the senators are principled people, most of them at least. And when it comes to counting noses on the question of whether a law is good or not patriotism and good sense are likely to prevail.

The Senate President, for one, used to be with PGMA's coalition. So do with some other senators who ran and won under the opposition ticket. They may have postured themselves as anti-PGMA, but they are of course not anti-good government. As such there's always a possibility for collaboration especially insofar as pro-poor projects are concerned.

This is possible taking into account that Senate President Villar is very likely interested in the presidency after PGMA's term. To win the goodwill of the general populace Villar will have to build the image of a positive and proactive leader. To attain this he will have to work closely with PGMA especially with regard to major national thrusts such as peace and order, employment generation, education, pro-poor projects and others.

Moreover, PGMA still controls the Lower House as well as the LGU leadership. To win the support of the legislators and local officials he has to get the backing of the President and the big guys of KAMPI and its affiliate groups. Such support is crucial if he wants to be president by 2010.

If the Senate will insist on stonewalling PGMA's nation-building efforts, those massive infrastructure projects highlighted by her in her congressional speech can indeed suffer delay if not impediment. One way to do this is for the Senate to sit on the budget for each of the next three calendar years. But if this happens the current budget of more than one trillion can be made operative in those years, thereby providing funding support for those projects. Or other recourse can be made such as borrowing from international fiscal agencies or using BOT as a strategy. In other words, with or without the senators' imprimatur, PGMA can still pursue her program of development, albeit with some hitches here and there.

Lack of time can also be a drawback to a strong presidency. But it can also be a positive factor. Since PGMA said she would not stand in the way of those who want to be president in 2010, her remaining watch will tend to be an apolitical one. This means doing what needs to be done sans political considerations. Political will will be more evident in her decisions, a trend which makes for more effective governance. I would rather be right than popular. PGMA declared in her SONA - certainly a declaration of her resolve to straighten out what needs to be straightened and to strengthen what needs to be strengthened.

Moreover, the President said that a president can be as strong as she allows herself to be, a statement reinforced with a warning to those who would stand in her way as she navigates through the remaining years of her term.

Even without saying these, PGMA has already proven herself a strong president. Remember the state of emergency? Remember the vow to crush the NPA? The botched impeachment attempts? The EVAT? Only a leader with guts could have done those.

Indeed PGMA can be a lame duck president only if she chooses to be one.

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