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| Power Play | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 30 2010, 01:36 PM (362 Views) | |
| GenoVee | Sep 30 2010, 01:36 PM Post #1 |
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Power play SKETCHES by Ana Marie Pamintuan from The Philippine Star Shortly before his departure for the United States, President Aquino had tried to patch up reported differences between two rival groups in his administration. Now dubbed the “Balay” and “Samar” factions, conflict between the two groups can be blamed for much of the perception that the new administration has failed to hit the ground running. The confusion over the President’s first executive orders, the slow government reorganization, and even the mishandling of the hostage crisis, have been traced, wholly or in part, to factional rivalry within the corridors of power. It’s good to know that P-Noy is making an effort to patch things up, or at least to keep the rivalry from setting back his reform agenda or compromising governance. The success of his effort could spell the difference between perpetual dysfunction and effective governance under his watch. Present at the meeting were Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa of the Samar group and Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad of the Balay faction. In the presence of their boss, the two simply laughed off the reported rift. As every Pinoy knows, laughing off a problem does not mean ending it. Rivals can be laughing and patting each other on the back as they feel for the best spot to stick in the knife. The sigh from both camps is that it’s really P-Noy who’s making all the confusing decisions, from appointments to the handling of controversies. There are still some 2,000 positions to be filled, with fewer than 1,000 new appointees named. We’re told that P-Noy is headstrong and doesn’t like being nagged about anything, particularly appointments, or being contradicted unless he asks for it. But the perception is that without factional rivalry, the President’s men and women could save him from coming off like an ineffective, indecisive leader. * * * “Balay,” as most of you already know, refers to the White House at Araneta Center, home to former senator and vice presidential bet Mar Roxas, president of P-Noy’s Liberal Party (LP). The faction reportedly counts among its members the LP stalwarts, among them Abad (with his daughter Julia of the Presidential Management Staff) as well as Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, the former Hyatt 10 members such as Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman (Abad was also Hyatt 10), Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda and Secretary Ricky Carandang of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office, and some partners in The Firm who worked with Roxas during the campaign. “Samar” refers to the street in Quezon City where Ochoa, P-Noy’s law school classmate and legal adviser when he was a congressman in 1998, set up a base of operations last November to help in the Aquino campaign. Secretary Herminio Coloma of the Presidential Communications Operations Office and other loyalists of P-Noy’s mom, Corazon Aquino, together with the President’s sisters and other key relatives are identified with this group. Interior Undersecretary Rico Puno has been lumped with the group, but he is more on a class of his own in terms of friendship with P-Noy. Candidate Noynoy had actually asked Ochoa to help in the campaign in September, as soon as it became clear that Roxas was truly sliding down to the VP race. But Ochoa waited for his boss of nine years, Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr., to bolt the Lakas-CMD-Kampi for the LP first before he could work for the Liberals’ standard bearer. By that time, the Roxas camp had already taken charge of the campaign of the party’s new standard bearer, who was ill prepared for the sharp turn of events in his political career. In December, the Samar camp commissioned a survey, which showed Noynoy Aquino’s lead over closest rival Manny Villar of the Nacionalista Party narrowing to only about four percent. Noynoy was also starting to complain about his heavy campaign schedule. The camp then turned to others for help, starting with Sen. Francis Escudero, followed by Sen. Serge Osmeña. The rift with the Balay group deepened after Ochoa was placed in charge of campaign scheduling and Chiz Escudero started openly pushing for a Noy-Jejomar Binay tandem. Around that time, I was hearing complaints from both camps against each other. The power struggle was in full swing. * * * Despite repeated denials, that struggle is still evident as Palace officials assess what has been achieved so far during P-Noy’s first 100 days. On his 100th day, the President is expected to outline his plans for the rest of his term. People are waiting for vision, and critics are waiting to pounce, if they haven’t already. It’s a vicious society where one president is criticized for extravagance for dining at Le Cirque, and her replacement is belittled for eating hotdog on the Manhattan sidewalk. We are never satisfied. A hundred days is too short for any major accomplishments. All that an administration can cite are efforts to lay the groundwork for change and progress. The first 100 days will be remembered for the disappearance of the perks of power: wang-wang and blinkers; politicians’ names and faces on billboards for government projects. No more lawmakers on presidential trips overseas, and of course there’s that hotdog meal. For the rest of the initiatives, the new administration hasn’t quite taken off. The validity of the Truth Commission, the recall of midnight appointments, and even the impeachment of the Ombudsman by presidential allies in the House of Representatives have all been challenged before the Supreme Court. The controversy over Hacienda Luisita, also pending with the high tribunal, has long cast a cloud over the Aquino-Cojuangco clan. Many of the President’s woes, however, can be traced to rivalry within his inner circle, including the incoherent response to the hostage crisis. In this administration, there often seems to be different heads saying different things on the same issue and pulling in opposite directions. And the problem doesn’t look likely to go away soon. In the Palace snake pit, the buzz these days is that the Balay camp is grooming Roxas to replace Ochoa as Little President. Filipinos are used to officials fighting over turf and power. As long as it doesn’t translate into dysfunctional governance, ordinary folk don’t really care who’s getting stabbed in the back. In this power play, the loser should not be Juan de la Cruz. http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=616254&publicationSubCategoryId=64 |
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2:12 AM Jul 11