SOMEONE’S LISTENING IN

As the Arroyo administration struggles to maintain a firmer grasp on the Philippine political and economical landscape, the issue of the Garci tapes is morphing as additional information and disinformation surfaces. Alleged parts of the mother tape are being bared, providing Filipinos with more juicy television and radio entertainment.

Before we get too engrossed in this newest political drama, I think that the country should not forget the real issue here. Aside from the spooky thought that there had been an unknown person or a group of people who illegally wiretapped conversations of private citizens, which is something that scares the shit out of me, Congress should do something quickly to bring the current wiretapping law up to date with technological advances.

It is shocking that this country cannot protect privacy rights, even that of the powerful President of the Republic. More creepy, however, is the fact that the perpetuators of the illegal wiretap are supposedly intelligence officers who had sworn allegiance to “serve” the Filipino people, but are managing a peep show that does not reflect more nobler intentions.

The skeptic in me couldn’t rouse my legs to march the streets when I heard the President’s voice on that tape because of several missing vital information: (1) How much had been edited out on that CD version? (2) Where were the mother tapes, which I figured would be miles and miles long of audio recordings? (3) Who was behind the illegal wiretapping and what was the motive?

TRAIL OF DECEPTION

The whole Garci tape “exposé” smacks of deceit and manipulation. It is a plot to destabilize the current administration but without wearing a badge of honor. In this sordid tale of politicians and power grabbers trying to bring down each other, the true intentions of the character players are deeply masked by one deviously crafted exposition after another.

So where is former National Bureau of Intelligence deputy director Samuel Ong, the “hero” who had the “guts” to bare the controversial wiretapping episode? Why didn’t the “disgruntled military intelligence officers” who gave him the supposedly original audio tapes (and by this, I hope he means ALL of the tapes) simply come out and tell their story. Ong wasn’t a whistle-blower; he was a stooge. Those who gave him the tapes were cowards who did not want to exchange their comfortable positions in the military for standing on their findings. Or they simply had other agendas.

Former Estrada lawyer Allan Paguia, on the other hand, is a glory seeker of the worst kind. He is definitely not in whistle-blower category. Paguia came out in public with the “compact” CD version of the audio tape without the permission of oppositionist and former senator Francisco “Kit” Tatad who, it eventually turned out, had given Paguia the wiretapped materials to subject for legal implications. In a court hearing, Paguia would have been an immaterial witness because he was just passing on information given to him.

Obviously, it would be difficult to imagine Tatad’s three-hour tapes as genuine. In fact, there was no need to send them to Australia or the United States for vetting, unless of course this was simply bravado – all words, no real intention of actually sending it for authentication. In the first place, audio tapes that are delivered under anonymity have very little credibility and should be regarded with extreme suspicion. The more important issue here, more than its contents, is the question of why the tape was surreptitiously sent not just to Tatad, but – if we are to believe the stories circulating – to several others.

ECONOMIC LIMBO

If the plot was intended to shove a discredited GMA out of office, it has obviously failed so far. Instead, the country is once again at an economic standstill. Investment decisions are being put on hold pending the resolution of this latest political storm. While our neighboring countries are aggressively soliciting new investors’ capital and expertise, our government can only watch and hope. The cost of doing business in the Philippines is also rising with foreign banks raising interest rates on loans that we have to continuously borrow to pay for interest on debts and maturing principal.

We now have a president that is trying to buy time by calling for reform through Constitutional means. It will be a process that will be dependent on a lot of factors. One thing is for sure though: nothing much has changed – and will do so at least in the immediate future. Meanwhile, there remains this nagging feeling that someone may still be listening in to sensitive conversations, and waiting for just another appropriate time to strike. Again.

A SECOND CHANCE

All her life, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo lived in the midst of politics. She was barely two when her father, the late Diosdado Macapagal, won as Congressman to represent his constituents of the First District of Pampanga. Gloria entered high school as the daughter of the country’s ninth president, certainly enough reason to make her a celebrity at the exclusive Assumption Convent where she would eventually graduate valedictorian.

By the time the Macapagals moved out of Malacanang, Gloria was already a strong-willed young lady who had fallen in love with the tall, dashing Jose Miguel Arroyo, son to parents belonging to old-rich political families. Gloria’s roots are well known – promdi (or from the barrios) courtesy of her poor but brilliant father who supported himself through college. But it is from her husband Mike, the true-blue Atenean, and his family that the aristocratic airs would be learned.

After graduating with a degree in AB Economics magna cum laude from Assumption College, Gloria married Mike and would in the next five years largely devote her time to raising a family – three children, two boys (Mikey and Dado) and Luli.

Gloria would spend ten years in various positions in the academe before starting her civil service career, first as assistant secretary at the Department of Trade and Industry, then as executive director of the Garment and Textile Export Board, and rising to the rank of Undersecretary at the Department of Trade and Industry. She is remembered as a giggly bureaucrat who had a warm greeting for anyone who approached her.

In 1992, at the prodding of so many people, Gloria ran for a Senate position. This was not really her baptism into politics; it simply provided for her the perfect setting to practice all that she had learned from her father, husband, bureaucrats, and politicians around her. Gloria became, in that very short time, an eager trapo (or traditional politician) who would quickly master the art of compromise, horse-trading, cunning with extreme patience, and yes, even dagdag-bawas.

CONJUGAL TRAPO

Notwithstanding all the stories about the shakiness of Gloria and Mike’s marital relationship, I am assured by those in the know that they continue to work together – she, at keeping herself firmly in the fulcrum of power, and he, by providing the legal and financial advice and support needed to sustain both their conjugal and individual goals. Even as he has left the country to diffuse tensions arising from the jueteng and Garci tape controversies, the partnership remains strong.

No doubt, Gloria’s curriculum vitae is packed with the essential ingredients that make for a good bureaucrat. If she had been in the Singapore government when Lee Kuan Yew was looking for his successor, she could have been considered a likely candidate. But the reality is that she is a child of the Philippine political system – regarded as one of the most corrupt in the world, where the dividing line between right or wrong has been fudged to a barely recognizable line.

She had really not deemed it improper to call a Comelec Commissioner and inquire about details of the election canvass. As admitted, she was trying to protect her votes, and the best way she knew was the same way that most everyone who had successfully run in an election had been doing since time immemorial. Sadly, I can almost hear her say: If I had not done it, I would have lost the elections, and lost it to someone who would have cheated me.

EARNING TRUST

She has given her apology, hopefully for the right reason, and with the firm resolve to walk the upright and moral path. Gloria should be firmly warned that not to do so would only cripple her already tenuous leadership and pave the way for an uprising by extremist elements.

The country has emerged relatively unscathed after two People Power revolts. Tens to hundreds of thousands of people had marched to the streets and successfully influenced a peaceful change in government. Twice we were lucky, but the third time may not be so.

Gloria’s best bet is now to buy time and demonstrate her sincerity in helping the country to truly rise above its burden of problems. All the business models, think tanks, and pedigreed economic advisers employed to reform the economy will be meaningless if she continues to serve without a strong ethical backbone.

At this point in time, Gloria has no recourse but to shape up – or ship out.