You can ignore the technicality and legality of it. You can forget “taste”, propriety — heck, even morality. Because frankly, one must only understand the meaning of sensitivity to know that Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s bid for that congressional seat in Pampanga’s second district spits at our faces — the legacy of EDSA 1 — the honor of our constitution — our collective ecumenical faith and the very institutions and people they protect.

[Do you hear laughter everywhere? I do. It mocks us.]

All of a sudden, the puny GMA dwarfs the efforts of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos to perpetuate himself in power in those dark days of martial rule. It doesn’t take martial law to stay in power after all, albeit of a lower caliber.

That GMA is politically sly is out of the question. The nagging question in each of us right now must be: why did we let this happen?! Why is history eerily repeating itself? In another form or circumstance maybe, but a repeat just the same.

One Facebook comment says: “Yan kasi ayaw nyo ng Chacha. Ayan tuloy, na-exploit ang loophole ng constitution.” Somehow, there is wisdom in that statement.

[As an aside, it is not charter change (chacha) itself that worries us. Personally, I think the present constitution is flawed, outdated and ambiguous in many sections and therefore needs to be re-examined and amended appropriately. It is not chacha per se that most people like myself despise but Chacha via ConAss (constitutional assembly) which gives the lower house the exclusive right to exercise power pertaining to the specifics of proposed amendments rendering the Senate powerless. There is a reason why we have a bicameral congress. The legislative is composed of both houses. Why let the lower house act alone on such a sensitive exercise? It will be like giving the bomb detonator to a one year old kid. And that is not even a fair analogy. I know of one year olds who are more cautious than all the reps of the lower house combined. Chacha via ConCon (constitutional convention) is what we are all rooting for — putting together a group not beholden to political blackmailers. Only then will Chacha be acceptable to the people.]

Na-onse na naman tayo! Nalingat lang, nalusutan na naman! Who would have thought of that? Who would have guessed (among the drafters of the 1987 constitution) that some megalomaniac president in the future could find a way around that “no reelection clause”?

Who in their wildest dreams ever thought that shortly after EDSA 1 a president would come along and hold onto that post longer than the allowed 6 years via a sly EDSA 2? And worse, who would have thought a soon-to-be former president (of nine woeful years no less) would go so low as to choose to aspire for a local position over becoming a “statesman” after her term ends?! We are being tricked for the second time and the worse part is that we can’t do anything about it!

Presidential legal counsel Romulo Macalintal (on GMA’s filing of candidacy this morning) quips, “This is historic.” — referring to GMA’s stunt of vying for a lower position after her term ends. I can only sneer in disgust and say to myself, this isn’t historic! Saying it is historic glorifies the act. It is not historic, sir. It is “horrific”.

Gloria Arroyo’s decision to run (and this is a decision not done overnight, mind you) screams of utter insensitivity and mocks us as a people. It is nothing less than an insult to Filipino values that the president herself should at least try to live up to.

I don’t care if there is no legal impediment to it.
I don’t care if she loses her voice shouting her noblest intentions.
I shouldn’t even care if she wins because I am not even from Pampanga.

What I do care about is the display of nerves of steel and the sheer greed it demonstrates. Is this the example that GMA wants the youth of this nation to emulate? To acquire and retain power at all costs?

Lame excuse

GMA says: “After much contemplation, I realized I am not ready to step down completely from public service.”

“This campaign and a seat in Congress will satisfy the call of my constituents and my own desire for public service.”

[For a complete transcript of GMA’s statement about seeking congressional seat in Pampanga in 2010, visit Malayang Halalan.]

If it is true public service for her cabalens that she desires, she knows very well that there are many avenues open to her — those that wouldn’t entail or require a certain level of power or authority — but I assume such avenues are unattractive to her.

Nobody does it better?

Despite protests from various sectors, Arroyo remains hell bent on running for congresswoman.

Mikey Arroyo, current representative of the district her mom GMA is eyeing in 2010 says that his constituents deserve no less than the service and expertise of her mother acquired through presidential experience. That only by having GMA will the people of Pampanga be well-served. Is that a confession that his district was underserved under his term?

To say that only GMA can better the lives of the second district’s constituency is to underestimate the talent, intelligence and skill of the very same people who make up Pampanga. Whatever happened to “no to political dynasties”?

Continuing from the statements she made regarding running for congress, GMA adds:

“Ang paglingkod sa publiko ay banal na trabaho. At a very young age, it was emblazoned on my DNA.”

Oh, DNA — there goes political dynasty for you. She is a self-proclaimed God-ordained leader. Maybe we should start kissing her feet.

Umasa akong ipagpatuloy na i-kampiyon ang pangangailangan ng mahihirap, ipaglaban ang mas malakas na ekonomiya, at tiyaking nasa kaabutan ng karaniwang pamilyang Kapampangan ang edukasyon, paglinga sa kalusugan, at mga trabaho.

Binibigyan ako nito ng pagkakataong ituloy ang paglilingod mula sa pwestong mas malapit sa taumbayan.”

So basically, she is making the very same promises she did before, only that now, she thinks she’ll do better in a local post — that to me is an admission of her failure to deliver on a national scale. She should never have aspired to be president. I’d like to ask, why are you “dying to serve”? Makikipagpatayan ka ba para lang makapaglingkod sa bayan? Are you here to serve? Or are you here to rule? Is it selfless public service that drives you? Or selfish lust for power?

Former president Fidel Ramos once said, addressed to GMA, “Do not demean the presidency by seeking lower office past your term.” He could not have said it any better. That statement packs a lot of punch. The presidency is the acme of national political aspirations. It is where the dream is ultimately fulfilled and ends. It is where you make the greatest performance of your life. Our past presidents know this and they were content enough and confident enough that they have done the very best that they can — that is why no other president before GMA has ever gone down to a lower position after their term ended.

Could this mean that GMA isn’t confident of the legacy (if any) that she will leave behind? Well, rightfully so, because the only legacy she will leave is her graft-ridden, scandal-hounded presidency. She had nine years to make it right. She blew all of it. And now, she wants to blow it all over again.

Senator Enrile said it best (referring as to why people in Maguindanao are piling up cadavers in the name of politics) — “Power is a very rare commodity.” In an interview (also referring to the gruesome Ampatuan Massacre), Didagen Dilangalen said “May magpapatayan ba naman para lang mapagsilbihan ang mga tao?!”. He goes on to say that the pursuit of power goes beyond the acquisition of it. It has become a commodity indeed — one that fuels and maintains economic and socio-political security.

Hard habit to break

People who have been used to having power for a long time are inclined to develop a certain level of attachment to it — sometimes, if not most times leading to an addiction similar to drugs.

To have been immersed in borrowed power for such a long time and suddenly realizing that it is now time to give it back, they become prone to panic attacks similar to withdrawal symptoms. Like the drug junkie, they swear to get more and more — the tolerance increases and the level of satisfaction gets harder and harder to achieve each time. It drives them mad and compels them to commit the worst of crimes. And as soon as the hallucination wears off, they scream at the bloodbath they’ve created — in total denial — blaming it all to drugs. What a convenient excuse!

After the chilling Ampatuan Massacre in Maguindanao, we shudder at the thought of living in such a community — and yet, we are part of that community. Just when you think you’ve seen the worst kind of monstrosity committed by one man to another, this sort of news reaches you as you drink your morning coffee.

International media groups say that we have been breeding a culture of impunity. They are right. But even then, it’s still a kinder perception. Truth is they ain’t seen nothing yet.

Today, we have seen that we have crossed that threshold. We realized that our culture of impunity has now mutated into something far worse. We are now breeding a cross between a croc and a swine. Some of these mutants walk amongst us, some disguised as “the best choice” or “the next best thing”. I pity the next president. He will always have to look over his shoulders and watch his back. Nothing is what it seems.

In the case of GMA, I was wrong in being a little hopeful. While I was never a fan of hers, I’ve always kept a relative measure of respect for the lady. Now, even that has been taken away.

Having said all these, no amount of posts would undo what has been done. Gloria Arroyo is running for congress in 2010. Much as I hate it, I must learn to get over it. After all, there is nothing you and I can do about it. So I echo what Conrado de Quiroz once wrote in his “There’s the rub” column in Philippine Daily Inquirer weeks ago — “by all means do”.

I now understand why some people think that hope is for sissies. All you need is a change in vantage point to clear your head of false promises and preconceived notions.

As it turns out, mutations, like bad governance is irreversible. Aching for change? Don’t count on it. Not gonna happen. At least not in GMA’s lifetime.