Honolulu Advertiser editorial on Gloria Arroyo

The Advertiser's editorial titled Philippines President should obey the law leaves me scratching my head. First I'll say the headline is obvious, any elected politician should follow the law.


As the Philippines heads toward what appears to be yet another in a seemingly endless series of constitutional crises, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has two basic choices: the rule of the fist or the rule of law.

Arroyo and her opponents should choose the latter. The best hope for the future of the Philippines is to reinforce the rule of law.

Obviously the rule of law should be followed. But how many corruption scandals have their been in this country? Countless, President Arroyo's is only the latest. The problem is, the offenders loot the public treasurey and then abscond almost always without ever being punished. I don't think Mrs. Arroyo's husband and children leaving the country recently was co-incidence. They fear a coup and are taking themselves and their loot to safety.

In this case, it might mean putting Arroyo's future in the hands of an impeachment trial in the National Congress. Some say that as a practical matter, this should not amount to any great threat since the president appears to have a comfortable majority of supporters within the Congress.

The other option, of course, is outright resignation, as her opponents suggest.

This was the option favored by former President Corazon Aquino in a televised statement.

Either option represents another sad chapter in Philippine political history, where leaders too often have backed down in the face of public outrage.

An impeachment will get Arroyo removed from office which is all well and good. That is likely to be just the end of the affair. The politicians aren't going to get her to turn over what ever she stole because they themselves are almost all just as corrupt. That may be cynical, but it's Philippine politics. My late father-in-law was politically astute while he wrote speeches for the local congressman. He and my inlaws don't trust Philippine politicians, and that's a very widely shared view by the majority of the Philippine public. The politicians need to be held accountable, no ifs or buts. This country will remain a poor backwater till so.

But here is the part of the editorial that I don't understand.

Still, if Arroyo fails to act, there is a strong possibility that the military might step in to restore order and set back the march to full democracy. That would be a shame.

The Philippines has a full democracy. A full and corrupt one. They aren't on any march there. To me it seems the Advertiser objects to those who protest the Arroyo regime and call for its end. That's democracy plain and simple. They have the right to call for this, in many parts of the world these dissenters would be in jail or killed. Doesn't the Advertiser remember what happened to Ninoy Aquino? That was the Philippines less than 25 years ago.

Philippine politics is a sorry mess. The people have a right to be outraged and want a change for the better. It's obvious Arroyo is just another crook, someone new as President at least holds out a chance for change.

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