THOUGHT LEADERS Gloria Arroyo: Killing her softly A close look at the plight of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who celebrates her 67th birthday this Saturday, April 5 Gary Olivar Published 9:11 AM, Apr 05, 2014 Updated 9:14 AM, Apr 05, 2014 To get to the present involuntary residence of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, a former president of the Republic of the Philippines, you turn right from the main gate of the Veterans medical center in QC and follow a long road that circles to the back of the sprawling compound. It takes you through several well-manicured golf fairways, past the tidy bungalow quarters of the hospital’s senior executives, until you come to a nondescript little road pressed up against the edge of the golf driving range. Turn left at that corner, past a couple of roadblocks, to a small parking lot, then you walk past a makeshift tent where PNP soldiers may be watching TV, up to a very long hospital wing that always seems to be deserted. Sign in at a reception desk, manned by uniformed armed guards who are friendly but reserved, always on the alert. Your name should already be in the logbook, based on the clearance from Camp Crame you should have requested at least two days earlier. It’s evident that the administration is taking no chances with this dangerous grandmother of 6. Mrs Arroyo’s quarters comprise a receiving/dining room, her bedroom, a small toilet, kitchen, pantry, and bed space for her staff. It is brightly lit and air-conditioned, and she has made it as homey as possible, with family pictures everywhere and a small altar to the Blessed Virgin in a corner. And yet – knowing that she’s only allowed one hour a day to take in the sunshine outside – you can feel how confining the space really is. This is where she’s spent the last 4 years, and most likely the next 2 years as well, in this the golden age of daang matuwid, of Benigno S. Aquino III (B.S.). If you remember Mrs Arroyo from her years at the Palace – bright-eyed, alert, smart as a whip, exuding poise and self-confidence – you may be in for a shock when you see her again. She’s lost a lot of weight and is now down to less than 80 pounds, in part because the metal plate at the back of her neck can block her eating as well as breathing “tubes”. She moves her head only with difficulty. I’ve seen her nearly choke on her food at times, and heard her cry out whenever the stress on her spine causes deferred pain elsewhere in her body. Hearing those involuntary cries from such an indomitable lady is a painful experience too. But the key word is “indomitable”. For all her present suffering, Mrs Arroyo retains her usually high spirits, her curiosity about what’s going on outside, her endless attention to the smallest details – from how her lawyers are defending her, to how the dining table has been set. She is hooked on movie DVDs, revels in the latest gossip about local entertainment celebrities, and dotes on her grandchildren – something she never had time for as president. She is now writing her memoirs, and those involved with her on this project can vouch that she is still no less a slave-driver than when she was running the country. The other way to describe her is as a “woman of faith.” It goes beyond her convent-school upbringing and the habits she learned there, such as daily Mass (a privilege recently denied her by this administration, around the same time they were bribing legislators to pass the RH bill). She once confided to visitors her belief that her current travails are simply an early entry into purgatory, which then means she’ll have to spend less time in purgatory when the real version comes around. If it’s true that B.S. has been saying that he wishes she would just die and go away, I’m afraid that he’s likely to be disappointed. Dead or alive, she’ll be around to haunt him for as long as he deserves. The history of Mrs Arroyo’s persecution is a depressing litany of institutions being corrupted by a non-entity of a president. These days he’s swinging away at the Sandiganbayan, specifically the 3 out of 5 justices who earlier turned down bail for Mrs Arroyo, and then denied her even a short 4-day birthday furlough. (Editors Note: The court on Wednesday, April 2, granted the familys request to spend 3 days with her, from April 4-6, to celebrate her 67th birthday.) If a Supreme Court TRO can be openly defied, if congressmen and senators are brazenly bribed with billions of pesos, for the sake of one man’s vindictive agenda – what do you think he will stop at, just to get his way again with the Sandiganbayan justices? Where might they be persuaded to draw the line against his importunings and his bullying? Indeed, the story of how B.S. clawed his way out of well-earned obscurity into the presidential limelight – on the strength of nothing more than misappropriated goodwill, misappropriated achievements, and misappropriated funds – ought to remind us of the damage that can be done to a credulous public by cynical politicians of the yellow variety. For once, we should heed the advice of B.S. who recently asked us – with absolutely no irony intended – not to elect an “ampaw” president in 2016. But the elections are still two long years away. In the meantime, a former president languishes behind bars, in danger of being forgotten by people who still believe the worst things about her despite a mounting mountain of legal evidence to the contrary.* What we do with those beliefs in the face of such evidence will be a litmus test of whether or not we have earned the right to be led by better people –from the executive, to the legislative, to the judiciary – in the future. – Rappler Gary Olivar earned graduate degrees from UP and Harvard and went on to a career in banking and telecoms in the Philippines and abroad. He served as the economic spokesperson of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. *Readers interested in discussing that mountain of legal evidence in any of her cases can email the author at gbolivar1952@yahoo . Get the most important stories delivered to your inbox daily! Subscribe to our Daily wRap for free: Go! MOST DISCUSSED STORIES Aquino and the framing of the FOI bill Francisco Balagtas sa panahon ng FB The prom you’ve always wanted Filed under:benigno aquino iii•gary olivar•sandiganbayan•supreme court•gloria macapagal arroyo 12 Comments Sort Janice Dervis6 hours ago Tinatawag mo pang ampaw si president Aquino, samantalang siya lang ang president na pina-imbestigahan ang mga nagnanakaw sa pamahalaan. Iyang si Gloria, noong panahon niya? Paano niya paimbestigahan ang mga magnanakaw eh, siya at ng kanyang pamilya ang mga magnanakaw. Di ka na nahiya sa presidente Aquino. Alam ko na ang Diyos ay tinutulungan ang kanyang administrasyon. Relihiyosa lang siGloria pero hindi ibig sabihin na mabuti siyang tao. Habit lang niya ang mga ginagawa niya pakitang tao dahil hinayaan niyang magnakaw ang pamilya niya at ang mga tao niya... LikeReplyShare+3 Brenda Fink6 hours ago sus tumigil ka nga diyan,,, pasalamat siya at sa VA lang siya naka confine.. di yan kulungan... LikeReplyShare+2 Janice Dervis6 hours ago Marami ring nanakaw ang hayop na iyan. Dapat imbestigahan ka rin GAry Olivar. Ipinagtatanggol mo ang babaeng pinabayaan niyang magnakaw ang kanyang asawat anak. Ikaw? magkanong ninakaw mo noong cabinet member ka niya? Magsitigil na kayo sa magaganda ninyong salita. Siya freedom lang niya ang nawala dahil magnanakaw siya. Napakaraming tap ang namamatay sa gutom dahil sa mga kagagawan ng mga magnanakaw at criminal na pilitiko na kagaya ni Gloria. Hindi pa sapat ang pagdurusang nangyayafri sa kanya. dapat ibalik ang mga ninakaw nila sa mamamayan. LikeReplyShare+2 Nazario Aquino6 hours ago Haiiiisss ano ba ito, nag hirap ang ,milyong milyong pilipino dahil sa mga mag nanakaw sa gobyerno ngayon may ikinulong buti nga di sa ordinary na kulungan, sige mag nakaw na lang kayo ikulong at palayain. LikeReplyShare+2 Jm Bautista6 hours ago Coming from a former cabinet member. Not sursprising LikeReplyShare1 reply+2 Alfredo6 hours ago what do you expect from TUTA ni gloria arroyo??? LikeReplyShare+2 Henry Samonte48 minutes ago Gloria deserve to die softly. Death would be too kind for her kind. She has sold our territory to the Chinese. Many statesponsored involuntary disappearances happens during her term. IN fact, UN Commission on Human Rights, a certain Alston, came here to investigate, and after he has made his report, few minutes after submitting the report to our government, he was already on board a foreign airline bount to the State. He, himself fears the ferocity of murders happening in our country. And in his report, he concluded that this deaths were state sponsored. Therefore, Gloria, who allowed her former National Security Adviser, Norberto Gonzales, to implement his own policy about the tenet that He who is against Gloria (President) is considered an enemy of the State. And they are subsequently murdered. Yes, death is to kind for her after what she did to our country. LikeReplyShare+1 awburrie5 hours ago Actually, this has a point, Im neither on anybodys side, but the reality is this is the first in history that I have seen a president be treated as such, and for one, people did forget of what the former PGMA did for this country. She may be serving her time well, but there is vindictive judgement of the latter that there is nothing more that he is doing to help but pull out weeds in the government and the country, i hope he doesnt forget that that is not only his purpose as the head of this country. LikeReplyShare+1 Janice Dervis5 hours ago Hey, Gary! The president and his family didnt steal anything from the government to add to his wealth. The president is not a bully. He is representing the peoples demand-to bring back the money that those criminals have stolen from the government. If a robber stole a cell phone he goes to jail, how much more with a person who stole millions? She goes to the VA with air-conditioned rooms? Thats what Gloria is enjoying right now. Former president who committed graft and corruption. That is very unfair to the Filipino people... LikeReplyShare+1 Joselito-Michelle5 hours ago Hindi nakakapagtaka na ang isang kagaya mo na dating miyembro ng gabinete ng dating pangulo ang magsusulat ng ganito para ipakita sa mamamayan,gaano man ito nakakainsulto sa pag-iisip at gaano man ito hubad sa katotohanan. Ipinapanalangin ko na sana ay maglaho na sa mundo ng mga buhay ang mga kagaya mo at ang dating pangulo na ipinipilit mong ipagtanggol sa kabila ng nakakasulasok na ebidensiya laban sa kanya at mga kagaya niyang salot ng lipunan! LikeReplyShare+1 Pete Abaigar Jr.5 hours ago kahit graglduate pa ng doctoral degree etongc garry olivar wala cianv kridibilidad ng husgahan c pnoy infavor of gloria. obvious naman kc na subject ang kanyang article eh Ang dapat dito isama din sa investivation on corruption. tingnan natin :( LikeReplyShare+1 societyofhonor3 hours ago On one hand, it does appear that Ms. Arroyo is the subject of political vindictiveness, as nothing much is happening, that I can see, to bring her before a court where she ought to have the right to represent herself. On the other hand, an article that refers to the President of this fine nation in impolite and derogatory terms, when he is doing so much that is good for the nation, is hardly a message to read with any objective conclusion but, boy, is this writer hostile and vindictive back, and I dont buy one bit of his sobbing, excuse-making, blame-casting. Its the venom the guilty spew once caught. Ive jotted a note to self, Gary Olivar is a writer not to read, as he throws a lot of guano. LikeReplyShare0 RECENT STORIES Gloria Arroyo: Killing her softly [Bodymind] LWren Scott, JPE and Palparan Bully comradeship Music may really be just dessert after all The prom you’ve always wanted Francisco Balagtas sa panahon ng FB Can this at least be the end of war? Aquino and the framing of the FOI bill Preparing to withstand other extreme weather events For yuppies who want to quit, a word from Jesse Robredo Peace be with us A challenge to the Bangsamoro Previous Next ABOUT RAPPLER Welcome to Rappler, a social news network where stories inspire community engagement and digitally fuelled actions for social change. Rappler comes from the root words rap (to discuss) + ripple (to make waves). 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Posted on: Sat, 05 Apr 2014 07:58:45 +0000
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