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Equality, a mirage

EDITORIAL

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02/12/2009

First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo isn’t going to appear before any congressional hearing — unless of course, he and his wife can control the hearings, something which they can’t quite do at this time.

There isn’t any doubt that his doctor will issue a medical certificate to the effect that Mr. Arroyo’s heart may not be able to handle the stress of a congressional inquiry.

Neither is the presidential spouse going to agree to a deposition unless there is a guarantee from the Senate that he will not be cross-examined.

He also knows that even if he snubs the Senate hearing, there will be no move on the part of the Senate to summon him, and if by chance it does, the summons are ignored, he will hardly be cited in contempt or even ordered arrested. That is the reality, despite all that talk from senators to hit him with perjury, if he as much as lies in his deposition — that is, if Mr. Arroyo even deigns to agree to having one.

Besides, even if he is slapped with perjury raps, what makes the senators think that the charge will even be entertained by the fiscals and the Department of Justice (DoJ), all of whom are directly under Mr. Arroyo’s wife, Gloria?

Not even the false testimony charges filed by senators against former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-joc” Bolante has succeeded in reaching first base at the DoJ, what more with a perjury rap against the First Gentleman?

Another senator, in a privileged speech, called on Gloria to create an independent body to probe the World Bank allegations of corruption in its road projects in the country and appoint a special prosecutor — similar to the special prosecutor in the US who insisted on bringing charges against then US President Bill Clinton, which charges led to his impeachment in the House of Representatives and brought to trial in the US Senate, where he was acquitted.

But what good will this do, under the regime of Gloria where virtually all the democratic institutions have been prostituted?

Who will be the appointing power if not Gloria Arroyo? Obviously, even if she does create such an office, which is seriously doubted, she would naturally appoint someone whom she can trust to acquit her spouse and herself for that matter, since she too, has been linked to the bribery in the road projects. Besides, where Mr. Arroyo finger in the cookie jar is, can Gloria’s finger be far behind?

Still, if an independent prosecuting counsel and an independent body to probe the raging controversy are desired, why then doesn’t the Senate pass a measure that would provide for such a body with full powers? Why ask Gloria to create one? Congress has the power to enact laws and create independent probe bodies. This would hardly be unconstitutional and can pass muster at the Supreme Court, if at all this is challenged.

But the senator who proposed the creation of an independent panel also knows that even if he files a measure to effect this panel, his bill won’t get anywhere, first, because the House of Representatives is controlled by the presidential couple, and second, if the measure does get the nod of the House, which is improbable, Gloria is hardly going to sign this into law, because that would be giving herself and her spouse the rope to hang themselves. And then comes the veto, which won’t be overriden by Congress.

Given the prostituted state of the democratic institutions in this country, there is nothing that the congressional bodies can do to get an honest to goodness independent probe going to get to the bottom of the bid-rigging and bribery that go on under the Arroyo regime.

The Filipinos are resigned to this and merely hope that in 2010, they can get a new government, after which all sorts of charges are expected to be leveled against the presidential couple, that is, if the new government can get Gloria’s Ombudsman to file such charges after they leave Malacañang.

In the meantime, it would do the senators well to start treating their resource persons better. If they can’t treat Mr. Arroyo in the same crude ways they treat other resource persons, they should start treating the others the same way they treat the presidential spouse.

The people see through this special treatment, which all the more makes Filipinos realize that equality in this country is a mirage. Being powerful pays, and how!