so she lifted it...now what?

the following appeared in the march issue of amb -- and the last thing you'll hear from me about the s.o.e. crisis and the overall political situation (until they decide to do it again!):

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The Philippines has been in a lot of world headlines this past month, and almost none of it was good news.

First came the PhilSports Arena tragedy in Manila where a lot of people died while trying to stampede into a stadium that was hosting a popular variety show. Then came the mudslide disaster in Leyte province that claimed the lives of pretty much all the residents in the village of Guinsaugon. And to top it all off, President Arroyo declared a state of emergency because of an alleged coup plot against her.

She just lifted the state of emergency a couple of days ago, and while the happenings in the Philippines aren't gaining worldwide attention at the moment, it's still a pretty big deal over there.

A lot of Arroyo's opponents are still wary of her and are protesting away despite the lifting of the state of emergency. They are angry at her for a lot of reasons.

So what do they have against her anyway...? Here are a couple of reasons:

• In EDSA II (2001), Arroyo was sworn in as president by then Supreme Court Justice Hilario Davide Jr. (now retired) at the EDSA Shrine. Former President Estrada was forced out of Malacañang Palace that day when his military switched sides. He maintains to this day that he was unlawfully forced out and that he still would have been the legitimate President for the rest of his term.

• In July 2005, wiretapped tapes (a lot of debate on whether this was legal or not) surfaced that allegedly prove that President Arroyo rigged the May 2004 presidential elections, working with the head of the Commission of Elections to ensure her victory against her opponent, the widely popular action film star Fernando Poe Jr. (he died in December 2004 due to health reasons).

• During her presidency some of her family (specifically her husband) has been linked to the illegal numbers game called jueteng (and the whole Jose Pidal business – that's another story).

• Now in February 2006, with her popularity levels really low, she declares a state of emergency (which bans rallies and grants the police the power to unwarranted arrests) and goes on to charge several congressmen, civilians, and military personnel of rebellion. Police then raid a leftist newspaper and do other things that a lot of the world saw as an assault on free press in the Philippines. People protest anyway and continually question the legality of her present and past actions.

Despite the lifting, Arroyo's presidency is still on very shaky ground. It seems like some sort of political crisis happens in the Philippines every 6 months or so. And if the current governmental structure is maintained (meaning it doesn't switch to a parliamentary-style government), Arroyo still has 4 years left in her term (the next presidential elections are in 2010).

For now, this crisis will probably die a slow death. But I wouldn't be surprised if another crisis pops out soon. By then, I shouldn't be surprised.

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