sinabayan pa talaga ni madam speaker ang red october eklat ng militar.  na-deja-vu ako.  in the run-up to erap’s ouster, then vp gloria conspired (or maybe just met often), it is said, with some generals intending to withdraw support from erap (five different factions daw).  and we know how very far that got her.

this time around she’s house speaker and pushing her version of a federal constitution and perceived to be fast-tracking a constituent assembly, never mind the senate, what senate, just in time for a rev-gov situation it would seem, na di pa pala binibitawan ng mga ka-DDS.  read lito monico lorenzana’s Duterte is not a Marcos.

but wait.  just 2 months ago she announced that it was too late for chacha and federalism, lalo na’t kailangan pa ng info campaign at ng plebiscite.  read Speaker Arroyo: Not enough time for charter change of aug 16.

Arroyo has described as “black propaganda” the claim of some senators and critics that she is eyeing the position of prime minister under a federal system.

“I think those who are raising those issues are those that want to stir controversy,” Arroyo said. “As far as elections are concerned, I’ve already said I’m not in favor of term extension, so I’m not in favor of no-el (no elections).”

In the first place, Arroyo said there is no such position in the setup recommended by Duterte’s consultative committee on Cha-cha, which she added was federal-presidential.

… Arroyo has stopped Veloso’s committee from drafting its own version of a new Constitution. “It’s waste of time. That should be done by the assembly,” Arroyo told committee members during a meeting of the panel, which she attended.

“So now we will work with Senate President (Vicente) Sotto and fellow senators on how to move forward,” she said.

anong nangyari between then and now.  obviously hello gloria and and her gang continued anyway to draft the house version of a federal constitution — with input from senate prez sotto and his gang, possibly?  Resolution of Both Houses No. 15! — just in case?

plan B siguro, in case bongbong doesn’t make it to veep.  how else to circumvent leni’s lawful succession except by adopting gloria’s proposed charter providing that in the transition to federalism-kuno under a rev-gov, the president in case of death or illness or incapacity will be succeeded by the senate president, not by vp leni.  a draft charter that is already so controversial, even self-servingly obscene, on so many points, like, wow, no-term-limits for reps and senators, parang dictatorship of the dynasties, among other unthinkables.  at parang di pinoproblema na baka di tanggapin ng publiko.  siguro walang plebiscite, a la marcos, people’s assemblies lang where people raise their hands when asked who wants rice, ehe, who likes the new saligang batas?

and then of course we have to factor in duterte’s health problem — he ain’t looking or sounding good — that, if taken with his expressed complaints about how hard the job is, and how he’s willing to give it all up right now, just say the word, puts the succession question squarely on the table.  read raissa robles’s IF DUTERTE IS TOO ILL TO LEAD THE PHILIPPINES, WHO IS NEXT IN LINE FOR POWER? 

Among those positioning themselves for leadership are Vice-President Leni Robredo, the opposition Liberal Party which she now heads, and members of the Magdalo Group as well as moderate left-wing Akbayan and civil society groups.

Second is former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jnr and his mother, Congresswoman Imelda Marcos, and sister, Ilocos Sur Governor Imee Marcos.

Next comes the Davao group, headed by Duterte’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, and other Duterte loyalists. These include retired military officers, sitting public officials and diehard civilian Duterte supporters.

Fourth is House Speaker and former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her political allies, while fifth is the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army and the National Democratic Front and its above-ground organisations.

vp robredo is next in the line of succession, no ifs or buts.  ang problema, duterte won’t step down kung si leni ang papalit sa kanya.  duterte wants someone like bongbong, like chiz? who will guarantee that he won’t go to jail for any crimes he might have committed while president.  thus this impasse that seems to be headed for a breaking point, with some prodding, it would seem, from hello gloria.  under her proposed charter, she can run again for any office she wants, though she says she won’t, she’ll be writing her memoir, but who knows, maybe she’s lying as usual.

and then, again, maybe she’ll get her wish to write a book, maybe her chacha won’t fly, too outrageous.  or maybe the case against her majority floor leader rolando andaya filed sa ombudsman by DDS commissioner greco belgica is just the first of many such SALN-related cases.

“Marami siyang hindi na-declare na baril, mga sasakyan, mga properties, lahat po ‘yun. We saw na hindi na-declare na maayos,” Belgica said, referring to Andaya’s SALN for 2016 and 2017.

reminds me of a congressman caught on video welcoming newly elected ones to congress with the line, “this is the life, guys!” or something to that effect.  if memory serves, nakagalitan siya, at napahiya, tried to take back his words.  sino na nga ‘yon?

the gloves are off.  labo-labo na.