A Series Of Unfortunate Events

What’s going on in the Palace?

First, you have Secretary Norberto Gonzales cited for contempt and held a prisoner of the Senate

Second, as a result, the Palace issues Executive Order No. 464 prohibiting any member from attending legislative investigations without approval from the President. That was met with scorn;

Third, Secretary Eduardo Ermita implements the Calibrated Preemptive Response which dealt an iron fist on rallies held in Mendiola. That evoked memories of GMA as a president more heartless than Mr. Marcos;

Fourth, the Palace demands the Catholic Church to observe the separation of church and state after opposition members held a Mass at San Miguel Church and which also prompted the Presidential Security Group to check the bags and backpacks of church goers to St. Jude Catholic Church, the other church within the Malacañang Complex. That was met with cries that even Marcos in his prime never instituted such draconian measures on the faithful;

Fifth, you have the disturbing fire in the Department of Budget and Management last 28 October, the day after former Secretary Emilia Boncodin testified about the Fertilizer Fund in her room at the National Kidney Institute;

Sixth, you have what John Nery calls the “goddamned trial balloon” – now infamously known as the Julius Babao Affair, accusing Mr. Babao, an ABS-CBN TV reporter of aiding and abetting a suspected Muslim terrorist obtain bail. That was met with a stinging challenge from the TV network to prove the accusation and demanded from the Palace an apology. Under the theory that the king can do no wrong, the Palace passes the buck to the intelligence service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and leaves them to apologize;

Seventh, you have the President calling for a legislated wage increase to cushion the effects of the EVAT implementation and hoping to curry favor with the masses. Made the leftists like Congressman Teddy Casiño and Renato Magbuto speaking with glee but terribly incensed her most important and perhaps remaining influential but tentative supporters, the businessmen. As a result, backtracks on her proposal;

Eighth, attacks media for being nothing more than chickens insisting the sky is falling. Made me think that the palace paranoia with bird flu convinced the speechwriters to conjure “fowl” words to hit back at media;

It seems there is no one in the Palace coordinating the president’s offense and defense. It’s each man himself to please her. Each action of the Palace is met with an increasingly spirited opposite reaction by her enemies. Newton’s Third Law does not seem to apply to the president;

Who is in charge of the Palace anyway? Everybody puts up a brave front for the president but deep within the labyrinths of the Palace, there seems to be chaos and confusion. Where is the Strong Republic of Tiglao? Gone to Greece as well to seek the Golden Fleece?

It is a matter of time before the rot in the palace boils to the surface and when it does, the president’s men will envy the day Secretary Tiglao decided to pack up before the dike breaks.