THE Filipino people should now unite and rally behind President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo regardless of one’s party affiliation or biases or personal hurt as the President faces her own Rubicon of no return, and the nation approaches a critical crossroad to peace and prosperity, or continued brutish existence, poverty, and unhappiness.

Indeed, while the 10-point legacy of President Arroyo is easy to understand, they are easier said than done unless their vigorous pursuit is accompanied, pari-passu, by the equally irreversible pursuit of fundamental reforms in the economic landscape, form of government, and constitutional amendments.

First, the major economic distraction of the country can be capsulized and simplified into: (1) inflation and its ramifications; (2) corruption and its corrosive and cancerous growth; and (3) the "fiscal time bomb" that the budget deficit impacts on life generally upon which the overall success of the ten objectives of President Macapagal Arroyo hinges on.

It goes without saying that, with the "moratorium" on CHANGES on hold, the prevailing political system will prevail, which means, among other things, that opposition senators are preparing their heavy artillery and ambush sites, so to speak, for PGMA’s legislative agenda and proposed tax bills.

In the meantime, at the House of Representatives, the members, parochial minded that they are, are mobilizing not in aid of legislation but how to dislodge Speaker Jose de Venecia, which can only result in a non-performing Congress.

Second, without the constitutional reforms, the Arroyo administration will be constrained to play politics, and "roll out the (pork) barrel" not only to assure the passage of statutes directly relevant to the realization of the 10point "promises" but also in preparation for the usual "trapo" midterm elections in 2007 without which victory, the rest of the 10point legacy will be in jeopardy, and political devastation.

When all is said and done, the Filipino people are expecting President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to do a Ramos rather than an Estrada or Cory Aquino, respectively.

Former President Fidel V. Ramos will be remembered, among other legacies, for boldly deregulating the economy, amidst stiff resistance from vested and status quo interests, and reconciliation with the three rebellious groups, namely, the rightist military, the leftist CPP-NPA-NDF, and Muslim separatists, and only time can judge their outcome. On the other hand, former President Corazon Aquino, while credited for restoring democracy, did not take advantage of her powers under the Freedom Constitution to institute fundamental reforms, while former President Joseph Estrada temporized and held a different agenda.

For President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the decision is agonizing and fundamental.

Will she temporize, play "trapo" politics, renege on reforms, and just walk away into the sunset in 2010, or go for broke, risk her own life, and sacrifice for the people and history?

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OVER HERE AND THERE

It was magnanimous and statesmanlike of Vice President Noli de Castro to yield the DSWD Cabinet post which he could have for the asking… On the other hand, DSWD Sec. Dinky Soliman should resign, out of delicadeza, for her impulsive remarks… Nobody is indispensable… By the way, have you noticed that frontline Filipino combat troops, in Southern Mindanao and Northern Luzon participating in joint military exercises with US troops, and trained by US Special Forces, are sporting night vision goggles, riding in latest US gunship helicopters and using sophisticated assault weapons?… This positive development is not coincidental with the War on Terror… The fact is that prior to the non-renewal of the Bases Treaty on Nov. 22, 1991, and subsequent pullout of US troops from Clark and Subic, the US government, under the Mutual Defense Agreement, was content with giving the AFP surplus military hardware, junk vehicles, jamming and overheating M-16s, and Vietnam vintage choppers that had sustained enough flak and damage from AK-47s and shoulder-propelled missiles that they should have been consigned to the junkyard instead of giving them away as military assistance to the Philippines… However, with the passing of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) by Congress in lieu of the former Bases Treaty, the AFP, upon the insistence and assistance of former President Fidel V. Ramos who went to the US for this purpose, subsequently negotiated, quid pro quo, that: (1) there should be interoperability of weapons, i.e. use of modern weapons for US and AFP troops; (2) there should be interoperability of units, i.e. joint military exercises and cross-training of troops, for example, Filipino soldiers train Americans in jungle warfare and survival; and (3) there should be interoperability of commanders, i.e., advanced training for AFP officers, and other benefits… Meanwhile, did you know that the "water business" in the Philippines is a R27-billion industry, including private deliveries and bottled water?… Incidentally the government may stop importing generic and life-saving medicines and drugs from India as local pharmaceutical multinationals agreed to lower their prices of expensive medicines… So you see, after all, these foreign companies can lower medicine prices if they want to, but only after the government had threatened to import the same medicines from India, Brazil, or South Africa at one-fourth the cost… You be the judge… (E-mail: hrrv@edsamail.com.ph)