Alastair McIndoe
The Straits Times
29-03-2010

House supporters keen to see her named new Speaker; she’ll pick new CJ before term ends

With a general election nearing, Philippines President Gloria Arroyo could be expected to be wrapping up her administration and thinking about legacy issues. Far from it.

Not only is Mrs Arroyo planning a new life in politics by running in the May 10 polls for a seat in Congress, she also made a controversial appointment in the armed forces, and now looks set to pick a new chief justice before she steps down.

Speculation over her intentions is adding to an already heated election.

Mrs Arroyo’s critics say she is trying to extend her influence in key institutions before her term ends.

To be sure, she has good reason to watch her back. Her administration was buffeted by corruption scandals, and it is widely expected her foes will push for these to be re-examined in the courts and public inquiries.

‘The President has to protect herself and get as much support as she can from established institutions,’ said political science professor Edmund Tayao.

Despite her unpopularity among many Filipinos, Mrs Arroyo is expected to have little trouble winning a seat representing a district in her home province.

A skilful political operator, Mrs Arroyo had majority support in the House of Representatives, and her allies there have made no secret of their desire to see her appointed as House Speaker, an influential, agenda-setting post, in the next Congress.

‘It is now clear that Mrs Arroyo is absolutely intent on consolidating and perpetuating her power by shifting it from the executive to the legislative branch,’ regional risk consultants Pacific Strategies and Assessments said in a report.

According to a count by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, 159 of Mrs Arroyo’s current allies are running for seats in the 260-member House in the May polls.

It is not a given they will all win or remain loyal. But analysts expect a sizeable ‘Arroyo bloc’ in the next Congress.

Meanwhile, opposition fears of a failed election in the country’s first electronic vote prolonging her presidency are being aired prominently in the local media.

Election commissioner Jose Melo has dismissed fears of a system meltdown on polling day as ‘pure fantasy’.

But in a survey released on Friday by pollsters Social Weather Stations, 48 per cent of respondents expected ‘people power’ protests if the polls fail.

For her part, Mrs Arroyo has made repeated assurances of her intention to step down on June 30, when her terms ends.

‘Our entire administration is devoted to ensure a smooth transition to a new government,’ she told troops during a ceremony early this month to mark her appointment of Lieutenant-General Delfin Bangit to the top post in the armed forces.

Lt-Gen Bangit is seen as particularly close to the President, and his promotion drew fire from the political opposition for bypassing more senior officers.

In another row over appointments, a Supreme Court ruling this month that a ban on presidential appointments during the election period does not cover the judiciary will enable Mrs Arroyo to appoint a successor to the retiring chief justice.

Right now, all 14 serving justices of the Supreme Court are her appointees, made over a decade of being in power.

The ruling set off angry protests over an ‘Arroyo court’ by some members of the legal profession. But Prof Tayao believes fears of a pliant court are overdone.

‘The debt of gratitude is an important part of Filipino culture, but not to the point of sacrificing institutions,’ he said.

Even so, one of the leading candidates for the presidency, Mr Benigno Aquino III, has said that if elected, he would not recognise a chief justice picked by Mrs Arroyo.