Asa ka, Gloria?

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the 14th President of the Philippines, has just survived a 4th impeachment bid filed against her in 4 years time. The law only allows for one impeachment bid per year, so it seems like she's on for a game of 'collect all 6" before her term ends in 2010. IF it ends in 2010...

The impeachment bid was junked after only three days of hearings in the House of Representatives. According to Gloria's allies in the House, the impeachment case contained insufficient proof to pursue the charges made against her. It was the usual stuff: corruption, fraud, bribery...


One would think, though, that after 4 impeachment bids in just as many years and widespread opposition to her presidency by the people, Gloria would get the message by now. It cannot be much fun to be one of the most hated presidents in the history of the Philippines (there is some tough competition there, too); but many suspect that Gloria is clinging on to her position out of fear for the many lawsuits that hang above her head. As long as she is president, she is more or less untouchable for criminal lawsuits; if she steps down or is ousted, she will most likely go straight to court and face the many charges of bribery, fraud and corruption pending against her. One journalist said that Gloria's position is like holding the tail of a tiger: if you let go, it will bite you... On the other hand, her predecessor, president Estrada, was also convicted for plundering the nation, but was gracefully pardoned by, you'll never guess, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Estrada was ousted by the Second People's Power Revolution after an impeachment bid against him had been aborted in the Senate... No harm done, though, you can often see him in game shows on television and he is supposedly preparing himself to run for president again in 2010.

"Only in the Philippines", people would sometimes say. It is not so much a cry of protest, it is rather like saying "Oh well, what can you do". It is a sad thing, for sure, that people revolt against a corrupt president only to find out that their new one is even worse. On the other hand, I think Gloria is a symptom and not a cause of the problems in the Philippines...