Saturday, August 7, 2010

P-Noy's MC No. 1

Whoever recommended to His Excellency, President Benigno Aquino III, to sign Memorandum Circular No. 1 may have been in a hurry by the fact that the said MC has been amended thrice. For whatever reason? Is a question best left for the decision makers to ponder.

It can be recalled that the first major blunder committed by then President Estrada was when he issued Executive Order No. 1. After signing E.O. 1 (which makes the term of office of all those coterminous with FVR's administration to end on June 30 1998 - without regard to the hold-overs and despite unwritten agreement for the hold-overs left behind - to properly turn over the projects and people down the line), there were persons immediately coming in with papers claiming that they are authorized by Malacanang to take over the positions of so and so, even before Pres. Estrada took his oath of office. It, however, appears that even before the said E.O. was signed - it seems that there were already those with appointments already prepared or have already been signed by then President Estrada (in some cases, there were double appointments). The people within the circle of President Estrada's camp might have already cooked something without President Estrada's knowledge. Whether then President Estrada was aware of it or not, however, is another issue.

What matters is that - then President Estrada was placed in such a dangerous situation. It also appears that the people who were appointed by then President Estrada thereafter, maybe qualified, but without extensive government experience or have not been exposed into the ins and outs in government service. After a year, war broke out in Mindanao, allegations of corruption started to erupt, different factions from within the Presidency silently moves into different direction from within the circle of the Presidency, all powerful. Political unrest then erupted. In less than two years - President Estrada was ousted in Office.

What was the intention of those who did it? What is the motive behind? Was it an attempt to perpetuate power, to destabilize the government or the group where the said order emanates has the propensity to build a turf to control the bureaucracy? This should have been looked into carefully by then President Estrada. As someone or many has said, the Presidency and/or Malacanang is a very lonely place to live.

What is dangerous in this precedent is not the legal or technical implication. The dangers behind is failure in intelligence. In case if government function is disrupted or penetrated by individuals whose interest is tainted with biases or prejudice or greed for power, to the extent that the natural flow of communications down to the tinniest details from the field is corrupted by partiality or that the upper layers of communication receivers put in place - are beholden to the one who recommended the appointee and dictates upon the source to report only informations pleasing to the ears of the receiver up to the highest level - then there exists failure in intelligence, which might blossom into factionalism, turf building, favoritism and soon . . . chaos, as what has happened during President Estrada's incumbency.

It was providential that His Excellency, President Benigno Aquino III, heeds to reason. It is providential too the He has inner circle of experienced and seasoned senior officials with varied government experience, whose credibility spanned to more than six Presidents, even prior to His mother's incumbency and whose loyalty to the flag and the Republic endured generations. By the fact that MC No. 1 was revised and now extended - it seems that the situation is being taken care of - at least, the damage done is being controlled.

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