Former President Benigno Aquino III is supposed to be in retirement. No one wants or is even thinking of him returning to power. Right now, his biggest contribution to the country would be his silence.
But no, the man probably misses being president and the cynosure of public attention. What he has done instead is to draw flak and stoke all the old jokes about him.
“What can Gloria Macapagal Arroyo do as leader of the House of Representatives with only a few months left before the end of the 17th Congress?” Noynoy asked during an interview with reporters at the sidelines of the Liberal International Human Rights conferment of an award to detained Senator Leila de Lima. The award itself is dubious. De Lima is not a political prisoner but a public official who is detained because of her alleged role in the trafficking of illegal drugs at the Bureau of Corrections in Muntinlupa which was under her supervision and jurisdiction when she was secretary of Justice.
It was De Lima’s karma for stopping Arroyo at the airport when the latter was leaving for medical treatment abroad. GMA has been cleared and released by the Sandiganbayan while De Lima has been held the last two years at the Taguig detention center for her role in drug trafficking at the national penitentiary.
That said, let us go back to the bad old jokes about Aquino. One of the more cruel ones about him went this way: “A man is supposed to have a left side and right side in his brain. In the case of Noynoy Aquino there is nothing right on the left side, and nothing is left on the right side.” Ouch.
Another one pertains to the economy which did well during his term. “The economic numbers grew under Noynoy. The only thing in recession and dropping was his hair.”
But enough with the bad jokes. Let us talk about his actual blunders in his presidency. Foremost of these is his paying tribute to his yaya, cook, maids and hairstylist in his farewell State of the Nation Address before a joint session of Congress. While the master of the house should certainly say thank you to his household help, it should have been done at the Palace—not before Congress and the Filipino people who want to know what he left to the country in his six years as president.
Noynoy Aquino asked what Arroyo can do in so short a time as Speaker. The question goes back to him: What did he do in six years as president? That Arroyo was unopposed and was the unanimous choice of more than half of the 292 members of the House proved that the Pampanga representative is seen as someone with leadership quality. She can run for reelection as Pampanga representative and as a sure winner can continue as House Speaker. Or even elected by her peers as Prime Minister under a parliamentary/ federal form of government.
Why not, indeed? As an economist, she was after all a former senator, vice president and president—positions that give her experience to be prime minister.
Aquino should know that Arroyo was installed as a transition Speaker because majority of House members were disillusioned with the leadership of former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. The House was in disarray under Alvarez, and still is with his supporters who cannot agree as to who should be accorded the status of minority bloc.
But as Interim Majority Floorleader Fredenil Castro said, “being fiscalizer need not be solely for the minority to perform,” adding that even members of the majority can raise questions on important measures discussed in the House.
Castro on Monday was replaced as House Majority Leader by Rep. Rolando Andaya who was backed by Castro who gave way to the Camarines Sur congressman.
The composition of both the House and the Senate, however, could change depending on the outcome of next year’s midterm elections. The alliance of Gloria Arroyo and Sara Duterte though is expected to remain strong and continue its dominance in the lower house.