The Game Called Politics

PHILIPPINE POLITICS is a game.?Politicians are champions. And what is up for grabs? The people’s money.

The ZTE Broadband Deal controversy is just one of the many scandals that reveal the true face of the Philippine government. Check the news today and you would be flooded with updates on the offshoots of the scrapped contract with the Chinese business firm–disappearing witnesses and?change of speakership in the Lower House.

This is the prevailing scenario as I see it: The President is so desperate to hold on to power. Thus she is so desperate to?clean up the mess.

First, she wants to?put an end to the controversy. After the Jose Pidal issue, the First Gentleman has again muddled the already tarnished reputation of his wife. An erring First Gentleman is not a good thing to keep if she wants to stay in power. So she has to stop everything that will turn his husband into a bad guy in the eyes of the people.

This, I believe is the reason why Lozano and Neri were suddenly gone for some time. These two personalities are believed to have valuable information on the deal. Without their statements, the Senate might not be able to come up with strong evidences on the alleged involvement of the First Gentleman and other members of the Arroyo cabinet, who reportedly received their share of the kickback from ZTE. If the Senate inquiry fails, the issue would die unresolved.

Secondly, she wants to control the congress. Because the son of House Speaker Jose de Venecia, who used to be?PGMA’s staunch supporter,?was the one who blew the whistle, the relationship between JDV and the President inevitably went sour. With two Presidential sons and a horde of unconscientious representatives in the congress, JDV was successfully overthrown. The squabble in the congress is just the beginning of a grubbier political situation.

It is clear that the President is deperate to show that she is in control; that she can hide whom she wants to hide, and that she can remove from position anyone who?seems to be?a threat to her presidency.

In the midst of all these, the President is saying that she is focused on infrastructure projects and on improving the Philippine economy, backed up by the news of the 7.3% increase in GDP.

This government thinks that Filipinos are stupid. We have repeatedly seen these scenarios. We?are hungry for?progress.? We slowly grow tired of working for our country. But the truth is, it is our leaders, in pursuit of their personal gains, that cause its delay. In contrast to the Kennedy question, we ask: What has the government done for us?