"Well, yeah," I agreed, shrugging my shoulder, I refused to rationalize.
Somehow, I knew what she told me was correct. And I don't know why I've become such.
"I guess, I've been badly burned," was my lame explanation. "I don't know."
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This morning, at ten o'clock in the morning, 10 members of President Arroyo's cabinet resigned. They were: DSWD Sec. Dinky Soliman, DOF Sec. Cesar Purisima, Customs Commissioner Bert Lina, BIR Commissioner Guillermo Parayno, Budget Secretary Emilia Boncodin, President Adviser on the Peace Process Ging Delez, NAPC Sec. Imelda Nicolas, DTI Sec. Juan Santos, DAR Sec. Rene Villar and DepEd Sec. Florencio Abad. They called on the president to resign.
Former President Cory Aquino followed in calling for her resignation, so did the Makati Business Club and the Liberal Party.
At around six o'clock this evening, the President declared that she would not resign.
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It was surreal, listening to the President's reaction to calls for her resignation on the radio on my way back to the office. Cityscapes/memories of what had transpired during the day run like montage; background to her pitiful voice struggling.
"This is a democracy that's held together by the Constitution and the rule of law. The Philippines has fallen into a dangerous pattern where the answer to every crisis is to subvert due process rather than work within the system. This must stop."
Boy Scout Rotonda, Timog Avenue. Banners and placards adorn what you used to be one of rallying sites of anti-GMA protesters. "Trabaho, Hindi Gulo" says a pro-GMA banner.
"I was duly elected to uphold the Constitution and ensure that the institutions of the nation were strengthened, not weakened. With all due respect to former President Aquino and others, I say that their actions caused deep and grievous harm to the nation because they undermine our democratic principles and the very foundation of our Constitution. Once again, we're subverting the rule of law and perpetuating a system that's broken and will remain broken until fundamental reforms are put in place."
January 2001. After the successful EDSA 2 which toppled ex-President Joseph Estrada. EDSA Shrine. Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide reads to her the oath of office. Senate Minority Floor Leader Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. holds the microphone for her. Jubilation. A thousand confetti descend on the scene.
"As former President Aquino is well aware, the President is charged by the nation to defend our hard-won democracy at all costs. To those who've forgotten this, I say, take your grievances to Congress where I'm very willing to submit to due process as called for by our Constitution. "
Impeachment court. Then President Joseph Estrada was under trial for charges of receiving jueteng payola. Clarissa Ocampo, a bank executive, testified that Estrada signed "Jose Velarde" one foot from where she stood. The bank account was not opened. The trial aborted. It precipitated what is now known as EDSA 2.
"In the meantime, I will continue to focus on the people's business, getting our economy moving and creating better quality of life for our people."
Manila. Children mindlessly playing basketball on the street. A worn train crawls by. A kid throws garbage into the cabin. An unsuspecting passenger surprised.
"I will announce a new Cabinet within the next couple of days. This team will be made up of individuals whose commitment to our nation and to democratic principles will be beyond doubt."
Ten cabinet members resign. "The longer the president stays in office under a cloud of doubt and mistrust, and with her style of decision making, the greater the damage to the economy and the more vulnerable the fragile situation becomes to extremists seeking to undermine democratic lights," Purisima says.
"This is the team that will work with me to move away from political bickering to doing what the people of the Philippines expect their leaders to do and that is get our economy moving and ensure the delivery of essential services such as health care, education and security to all parts of the country."
Today. Secretary's Office. DOJ Secretary Raul Gonzalez was watching Cory Aquino's address calling for Arroyo to resign. "She (President) will survive this. I will stick with the President even if I'm the last man standing," he said in response to reporters' queries.
Our realities are a function of our desires. We see what we want to see. Believe, what can deceive.
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At home. One bleep. And everything's fine. One puff and the smoke shall engulf me; fantasies/realities both. Discernment, this time, is not one of my primary skills.
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