Eye Opener
May polls crucial to GMA stay in power
The May 2007 election is very crucial to the survival of Pres. Gloria Arroyo. Twice, Pres. Arroyo got clean nod of the House of Representatives since her allies are in the majority. The reported cheating in the 2004 Presidential election was the subject of the two impeachment cases filed against the President and she came out victorious. Most of those who belong to the minority abstained from voting or were absent during the voting. The Senators were dismayed as the impeachment case did not reach them in 2005 and 2006. Pres. Arroyo is really a lucky personality as even the massive protest of thousands of Anti-Gloria did not get to the first base as the PNP and the Army Forces of the Philippines are loyal to the Commander-in-Chief. Subsequent rallies resulted to injuries on the part of the rallyists but to no effect. The EDSA celebration which was supposed to be the turning point of Gloria's vacating the Palace did not also succeed. Unlike in the 2001 EDSA revolution where Pres. Erap was toppled down, Pres. Gloria in EDSA 2005 and 2006 weathered the violent protests despite the presence of influential opposition leaders.
In the forthcoming May elections, should the opposition candidates in the congressional battlefield succeed in electing majority of congressmen and senators, most probably the impeachment of Pres. Arroyo may be revived. With Senators Recto and Arroyo joining the administration party line-up for senators, the chances are that majority of Arroyo's senatorial candidates will win. However, incumbent senators who are not running for reelection still constitutes the majority of the upper house. Many senatorial candidates of the administration party are very strong not only of their own merit but of the well-oiled machinery of Pres. Arroyo plus the inexhaustible resources at her command will no doubt be a big factor in winning the forthcoming elections. If voters will not choose money as a consideration of their voting in May 24, the opposition candidates both local and national will have a smooth sailing in the coming elections. If voters will just stick on the issues – economic, social, developmental, graft and corruption, "hello Garci controversy", then most likely candidates of GMA will have an uphill battle in the May 2007 elections. But GMA being in power and the Army and PNP under her control, the opposition will no doubt shout, "foul" should the results be otherwise.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines will help educate voters how to choose upright, honest and responsible candidates both local and national but will their religious influence make the difference in the voting? The burning issues against Pres. Arroyo might hurt her local and national candidates. People presently are suffering from difficult living due to high prices and lack of jobs. The VAT will be the major issue as the implementation of this added taxation has affected the pocket money and take home pay of both public and private employees. If Pres. Arroyo will remove VAT before the May elections, she might be accused of influencing the voters and giving a big boost to local and national candidates.
But GMA, wise, talented and smart as she is, has plans to win the local and national elections. Filipino voters are still gullible despite the fact that their life is miserable. Will the Filipino voters this time choose their leaders according to the issue and not through the influence of money?