PGMA sings My Way

After serving as President of the Philippines for one term and a half, the most appropriate theme song for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo would be My Way.

I say or write this with no pun intended or in anticipation of the President leaving office in the very near future. The idea comes to mind after I asked myself the question: what singular achievement has President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo done that really benefitted the Philippines?

In a column I wrote many moons ago, I told of how Ferdinand Marcos fought off the communists who would have destroyed the only true democracy in Asia. Tita Cory Aquino brought us through a bloodless revolution recognized worldwide as “People Power”.

Fidel Ramos led us through a period of economic hope and actual growth. Joseph Estrada became the catalyst that confronted us with our political immaturity and selfishness. For the greater number of poor Filipinos, Estrada gave them a glimmer of relevance. But what about Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo?

Next week, President Arroyo will be making her State of the Nation Address or SONA. Unfortunately political correctness does not allow her to write about her real achievement as President. In fact she may not even realize what it really is.

Tradition requires that she focus on the historical topics or concerns but not about things that could spin off into a reality TV show on the Presidency.

Honestly speaking, if there is one major achievement that President Arroyo can crow about, it would be her being able to “Govern” over the Philippines, the grumbling rich Filipinos, the obstructionist members of the Senate and Congress, the grumbling Catholic Church, the disruptive leftists organizations, and the destructive forces of the NPA, MILF and the opposition, not to mention the cantankerous media and ultimately the teeming and helpless millions of poor Filipinos.

If the real political analysts choose to look beyond and beneath the accusations and the public judgments, I could say that they will come to the conclusion that the one thing Gloria Macapagal Arroyo did right and did well, was to do things her way.

Fiascos and blunders included, no living President would have kept this nation together and survived in power as long as she did, considering all the controversies and accusations. Rightly or wrongly, PGMA governed and she used every available resource of government to get things done and do things her way.

A person with less fortitude or grit would have toppled at the annual impeachment efforts. As a “woman” she did not surrender to the gender classifications by showing both fury and steely anger that made ex-generals and seasoned politicians cower or run for cover. We can call her a lot of things like “One lucky bitch” or even more derogatory names, but the one thing she is not is “Chicken”.

I make a point of this all as we begin to consider new leaders among the new generation and to pint out aspects or leadership we fail to see because we’re too busy picking a fight or criticizing our leaders. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is hardly the ideal leader or the great President as many wish for. But the question to ask would be: what is leadership all about?

In this Obama dazed generation, many want charisma, wit, savvy, and technological competence as well as historical value. We draw up qualifications and categories that apply to or based on our experience and our expectations but rarely on reality.

Early in the game, US President Obama has experienced the drop in his popularity as he begins to make “unpopular but necessary” decisions regarding “Camp Guitmo”, bail out packages, and appointments to the Supreme Court. According to the commentators, things will get worse for Obama.

Decisions and policies will be made and implemented and since there are always two sides to a problem, a leader will win some and lose some. That they say comes with the territory.

In writing and pointing out this observation, I presume that it will make me unpopular to Arroyo enemies and will make my associates wonder if the administration has managed to get me. Actually the article is an exercise that makes the point. We all have a job to do or a mission to fulfill; it would be great if by doing the job, we become popular.

Popularity or unpopularity does not define what our job is, what our responsibilities are, or what decisions have to be made. Faced by this absolute, we must be certain of our action and have the conviction to see things through.

In the world of “warriors”, it is essential to see your enemy as he or she really is and not what you wish for them to be or expect them to do. By doing this you will gain an appreciation or understanding of how they work and why they succeed.

I have said before that the reason the Boys Club always loses to PGMA is because they study her like they study a man. They expect her to act like they do and think like they do. Her enemies have failed because they have focused on her faults and her moral deviance rather than her detached, strategic and mercenary-like conduct of leadership.

Anyone aspiring to take her place should start getting used to the idea that sooner or later they will find themselves in the same boat. In this country being blamed or accused is part of the job description

As for President Arroyo, I’m certain that she has lived out every phrase in the song My Way. Of this I’m certain…. she will most likely finish her performance “not in a shy way”.