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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has some powerful allies and some powerful enemies. And with this oppositional tandem always in play, she has proved her worth as a shrewd politician. Even in the darkest of hours for her political career, she has used every means possible in order to stay in power. And when I say, every means possible, just look at the 2004 elections, “Hello, Garci”, The Jun Lozada abduction, NBN, and so on, we do get a sense of how far reaching that power can be.

When even her husband has the audacity to strike back at media, wielding the power of the libel and the power of being First Gentleman around, there is a sense in that family of their own entitlement and right to do most anything they please with the power of The Executive on their side.

We have already seen the calling of a state of emergency, short of calling for Martial Law, and at this moment we already see the overwhelming control The President has on the military and the individual government agencies and departments. It’s overwhelming, the inherent powers of a president, and even more overwhelming when it is being used by an individual hell-bent on staying in power.

Because our constitution now has major safe guards against The Executive Branch, the fear of martial law is not rampant. And yet, because the military is still a big player in politics these days, and whoever controls the military is still the big kid in town, there’s no question that even without martial law, the environment and essence of that state can still be enforced, and thus we have the extra-judicial killings and the ability to thwart the right of suffrage for The Filipino People.

One could argue, that President Gloria Arroyo, if we are to believe that she did not win in 2004, is already living the under-the-radar life of a dictator, but with limitations. And yet with this limitations, and because big time corruption is still a normalcy in The Philippines, she can continue on without fear of too much checks and balance.

We are not there yet my dear friends, but a continued disrespect for our constitution, the lies, the corruption, the stealing of elections, and the stealing of our land and money, there’s no telling what lurks behind the mind of a future dictator.

For the good of the nation, Gloria Arroyo should step down. Sooner rather than later. This is not yet an overwhelming sentiment, maybe because it is so late in her term.

At this stage we still have the power to push for her resignation.

This power may diminish in time. And an extended stay by Gloria Arroyo could mean another Marcosian kind of life for Filipinos in the motherland.

With a possible merger of political parties in Gloria’s camp, it is up to the Senate in the upper house, The Supreme Court of The Philippines, media, and civil society to keep a close eye on our dear President, lest she think she can pull a fast one on all of us.

Believe me when I say this, we The Filipino People must handle this ourselves. Although we would wish ourselves to be on the front page of international news from day in and day out, we are not. The United States, Russia, China, and The Middle East, that is where the international headlines come from. As long as there are no major disruptions in The Philippines, the international community could care less whether or not a person of Gloria’s infamy is in Malacañang. Just the other day, the news coming out of The Philippines was that of Imelda Marcos.

Of course, all the preceding will become meaningless, if she does step down by 2010 or sooner.

And in all honesty, this is probably the likely scenario. The President is embattled, fighting to stay on, and hoping that none of these allegations stick once she’s out of office. Maybe all she can think about now is her survival, who cares about after 2010.

In the end, it’s better safe than sorry, and even more worse than another screwed up president in 2010 is having the same screwed up president that we have now.

tags: dictator, executive branch, president gloria macapagal arroyo