The Philippines is not alone

WHEN "hindi ka nag-iisa" (you are not alone) became a popular slogan in the aftermath of Ninoy Aquino's assassination in 1983, little did we know that what was said of Ninoy would one day also be said for the country. The Philippines, hindi ka nag-iisa.. According to columnist Jarius Bondoc, if you travel to banana republics in South America, you will feel right at home because their news headlines will mirror Manila's newspapers.

If you go to Ecuador, think of former President Joseph "Erap" Estrada. In 1997, Ecuador elected President Abdala Bucaram, a colorful entertainer who won on the strength of his charismatic personality. President Bucaram spent his brief term in office "womanizing, gambling, boozing and rifling the public till of $100 million" until Congress impeached him. His female vice president, Rosala Arteaga, then assumed the presidency.

If you go to Peru, think of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Peru's president, Alejandro Toledo, is currently being pressured by militants, churchmen and members of the opposition to resign for alleged corruption and election fraud. Yet Peru's business interests want him to remain as president because the Peruvian economy has never been better. And besides, they don't believe his vice president is capable of running the country.

If you go to Bolivia, think of Vice President Noli De Castro. In 2003, Bolivia's president was pressured to resign leaving the presidency to his vice president, Carlos Mesa, who was a widely known television anchor. When Mesa failed to improve the economy and was confronted by strikes and demonstrations against his administration, Mesa resigned. The Senate President assumed office but street demonstrations forced him to resign as well. The House Speaker declined to take over so the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court had to take over and set new elections by the end of the year to prevent a civil war.

If you return to Ecuador, think of Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson. After President Rosala Arteaga's term, Jamil Mabuod was elected president and he proved to be as corrupt as Bucaram and was similarly impeached by the Ecuadorian Congress in 2002. His vice-president, Lucio Gutierrez, then assumed the presidency and promptly "plunged Ecuador into narco-politics." Gutierrez dissolved the Supreme Court and had the new one he appointed dismiss all the criminal charges against Bucaram. Gutierrez, who had been a colonel in charge of security under Bucaram, then invited Bucaram back to Ecuador after years of exile in Panama. Bucaram's return sparked a People Power-like uprising that forced Gutierrez to flee into exile to Brazil.

General Lacson was the head of the Philippine National Police (PNP) under President Estrada and is still personally close to Estrada even though he spurned Estrada's plea to withdraw his presidential bid in favor of his friend and fellow actor, FPJ. If Lacson were to ever become president, he would do to Estrada what Gutierrez did with Bucaram: have all the charges against his former boss dismissed.

Jarius Bondoc is convinced that the present crisis in the Philippines is the handiwork of Lacson: "It was Lacson who craftily devised the jueteng stories, first with 'press exclusives' on three bagmen, then a Senate probe in which his party pal 'confessed' to paying off Ms Arroyo's son and spouse. It appears he was behind the wiretap too. As NBI chief Reynaldo Wycoco disclosed, retired spy Sammy Ong, who brags to hold the bugging master tape, had campaigned for Lacson. Ong, in turn, let on that the wiretapper was intelligence Sgt. Vidal Doble, once attached to Lacson's Anti-Organized Crime Task Force under Estrada. The crisis in effect is a Lacson ploy, from which he would be the foremost beneficiary."

Lacson has assembled a left-right coalition to depose President Arroyo. Last week, he launched his "Be Not Afraid" Movement to distribute nationwide free "Hello Garci" ringtones and CD copies of the purported wiretapped audiotapes linking President Arroyo to electoral fraud. Joining Lacson at the launching of his movement were Makati Mayor Jojo Binay, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and Rep. Francis Escudero of the Estrada-Poe camp as well as Rep. Butz Aquino and Rep. Ronaldo Zamora, his supporters in the last election. Included as well are Marcos stalwarts Kit Tatad and Juan Ponce-Enrile. Also in attendance were representatives of militant student and labor groups like the Bagong Alyansa Makabayan and the People's Movement Against Poverty.

Many of these student activists were not even born yet when Lacson was a member of Col. Rolando Abadilla's notorious MISG unit which tortured and killed activists during the Marcos dictatorship.

"Be not afraid"? With Lacson pulling the strings to provoke a crisis that will enable him to be president of the Philippines, we should all be very afraid.

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