Exchange deal

Crises spawn opportunities, and Gloria Arroyo will grab whatever comes her way in her attempt to perpetuate her claim to power, at whatever cost, even at the expense of 57 innocent lives, including many journalists, who, as it turned out, only became pawns in a local turf war at which Gloria’s interest was long hinged.

The Ampatuan massacre in Maguindanao, the second poorest province in the country where guns, goons and gold worked wonders, not only for a cheating presidential candidate but also for her senators and local leaders as well, to the detriment of a country long lost in the darkest chapter of its history since Marcos’ martial rule, not only gave us our ugliest blot but a chance for Gloria to create an advantageous scenario for her to complete her own Marcosian cycle.

Gloria has placed Maguindanao and its environs under martial law, but not publicly declaring it like Marcos did, perhaps learning from the mistake of the vilified late dictator, whose old school, black and white television image became a direct illustration of evil even long after his death as his footage gets shown every year when the nation is reminded of his rule, or things similar to it, just as what we have now under Gloria, and against which we say, never again!

But it was martial law still she has just declared.

Ugly pasts have their way of resurrecting ghosts, and Gloria must have found out about this when what was only expected as an arms cache, found buried like valuable treasures in Ampatuan properties, also revealed remnants of Hello Garci’s past, in all its glorious glory, confirming the wide-spread electoral fraud that sent Gloria to Malacañang and denied some opposition sena-tors victory.

The Ampatuans, once a very powerful family in the region, however, have threatened to “talk,” if talking means confirming what Gloria and Garci have discussed in the country’s most interesting telephone conversation. But not even this threat would have sent chills down Gloria’s spine. It might have opened another opportunity to strike a deal with the Ampatuans, whom the nation wants nailed for the mass murder of people, which a foreign observer likened to what has transpired in Rwanda.

Under martial law, there is a likelihood the Ampatuans would escape the more serious offense of mass murder, as government is now focused on what it termed as a “looming rebellion,” one that has yet to transpire but for which the Ampatuans would likely be nailed, and given lighter penalties compared to what Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. faces for 25 counts of murder.

It has also to be said a number of times, by various legal experts, opposition groups and those in the know about martial law, that the one recently declared in Mindanao would likely creep into several other politically important areas as the 2010 elections near, while government is being accused of building up a no-elections scenario, if it would help Gloria stay put and longer at the throne, there is now very little doubt she had stolen from the people.

The Ampatuans, their backs against the wall as Gloria and Gibo Teodoro make their rivals — the Mangudadatus — the next big warlords of Maguindanao, would accept whatever deals that would be offered their way, if only to end this family crisis that started when GMA had condoned their earlier acts of violence in return for political favors in their region, even giving them money and supply of arms, which of late, are being dug up in Maguindanao.

But the Maguindanao crises seem only the beginning.

The nation must be on guard against the many plans of Gloria Arroyo as her end-time nears.

Only our vigilance would ensure she steps out of Malacañang very soon, if not now.