The burden of succession

DURING THE inauguration ceremonies, first at the Quirino Grandstand and later at the Cebu Capitol, all eyes were naturally on the President.

The Vice President was also noticed, the attention probably brought about by media from whose ranks Noli de Castro sprung. A number of commentators said so much: One of them was now Vice President. Nobody was rude enough to describe him as a "spare tire" or "being a heartbeat away from the presidency." President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was vice president when People Power II drove Joseph Estrada from Malacañang, so she can give the new Vice President sound advice on being prepared for any eventuality.

Our history provides two other victims of fate: Carlos Garcia was vice president and took over when Ramon Magsaysay died in a plane crash in March 1957. Earlier, there was Elpidio Quirino who became president when Manuel Roxas expired from a heart attack. Now that it is literally being a heartbeat away from the presidency.

Being vice president is a tricky situation, for one would not, not even as a thought, wish the president ill just to get to Malacañang. Only "Kabayan" can tell us what it's all about and we hope that both Macapagal-Arroyo and he take notes during the next six years that they can refer to while writing their memoirs in the future.

Browsing through the "Memoirs" of Quirino recently, I tried to find not just an explanation of his public record but more of his reflections on the dizzy ride that power brings. What is it like to be unexpectedly thrust into power:

"Aboard the Coast Guard cutter Anemone on its way back to Manila in the morning of April 16, 1948, I received word of the sudden death of President [Manuel] Roxas. He had succumbed to heart failure the day before at Clark Field [Angeles, Pampanga]. I was returning from an inspection trip to the Visayas.

"My health was none too good, and now, without warning, the tremendous burden of the presidency had been shifted to me. It had killed my dear and good friend, that I knew. I had, just had the time to pray as I never did before. I needed all the energy and the help I could muster to carry on the job where my distinguished predecessor had left off.

"I realized that I myself was living on borrowed time. I confessed so the next day, at the University of Manila, where they gave me an honorary degree. I begged the indulgence of the audience and limited myself to saying 'Thank you' and pledging to be true to the University, to its exalted principles and avowed purpose of preparing the youth for duty in our democracy."

After a number of paragraphs whose thoughts formed the eulogy he delivered before the remains of the president and his friend, Quirino continues:

"The troubled world situation at the time he died certainly demanded of his successor in office, of his people whom he loved, that they carry on boldly and firmly with the tasks initiated under his vigorous leadership. I knew of no occasion to lay aside the petty and partisan differences, the selfish motives and personal ambitions dividing us, in order to achieve for our country the security and tranquility needed to build on durable foundations."

Quirino obviously read American history and what he found there was not very promising:

"I could not altogether shake off from my mind the prospect that awaited me in turn. Roxas alive had been spoken of in terms comparable to the abuse heaped on Washington himself in his time, such as 'could scarcely be applied to Nero, a notorious defaulter, or even a common pickpocket.' When Lincoln fell before the assassin's bullet, members of his own party were reported to have rejoiced and looked upon the event as a 'god-send to the country.' The critics of Thomas Jefferson 'agreed that he was a man of illusions, highly dangerous to society and unbounded in power of evil.'

"Now, I did not see where I could be spared a similar treatment or why I should deserve better consideration. It was enough, and I felt heartened, that my former partner had stood such drubbings with unflagging purpose and consistent dignity.

"Somewhat wryly, my colleagues in the Liberal Party may have recalled that their assent to my candidacy in 1946 as teammate of Roxas was in mere ratification of supposed political custom shaped by geographic consideration. Roxas came from the Visayas, so his running mate must come from Luzon, and from that area of it whose votes could feasibly spell victory for the team. But it was not necessary to anticipate, it could not be practical to expect that Roxas would drop off before his time to leave the helm to somebody else--me, for example."

How long does it take for people in power to wake up and smell the coffee? The sad part of it all is that people remember little of their past, and that little that remains in the common memory of Quirino is not of the good things that he did but of an over-priced bed and, supposedly, a golden orinola or chamberpot. People in the present often leave judgment of their acts to history, which may not always be a good thing.

Comments are welcome at aocampo@ateneo.edu