Fighting windmills....

Last night, on the eve of the first death anniversary of actor and presidential aspirant Fernando Poe Jr., former defense secretary and retired general Fortunato Abat proclaimed himself as the head of a revolutionary transitional government mandated by the "second Malolos congress" with the objective of replacing the current administration and peacefully ousting President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Say what?

You heard me right the first time.

We have an old geezer, a former general and cabinet member at that, suddenly coming out into the open, proclaiming himself the "president" of a "revolutionary government", vowing to remove President Arroyo from power.

Is he a hero? Or a nutcase?

The jury's still out on that question, though Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye and Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Raul Gonzales seem to be more inclined in believing the latter. Secretary Gonzales, while being his usual gauche self, was quoted as saying that he was not keen on sending "people who are already on their second childhood to prison" when asked whether inciting to sedition charges would be filed against Abat. You got to hand it to this guy. He never seems to run out of witty tirades against those against the Arroyo administration every time he's interviewed.

Personally, I'm not sure what to make of this recent turn of events. It's just too surreal to call. As far as Abat is concerned, is it a sign of senility to stand up for one's beliefs? To go against an administration whose credibility, integrity and honesty and in serious doubt? Some people apparently don't think so, and have even voiced their support for Abat's seemingly hopeless quest. Of course, there are those who think he's a raving madman.

While others have dismissed his declarations as nothing more than the delusions of a senile old man, I can't help but notice the irony in his cause. Does the fact that he is voicing out what may very well be the sentiments of the silent majority make him any less sane than the rest of us? Think about it.

President Arroyo's Net Satisfaction Rating (NSR) for the fourth quarter of this year according to the Social Weather Station (SWS) is -30, her second lowest rating ever (see release here). During the second quarter, her NSR was -33. These ratings give her the infamous distinction of being the most unpopular president since Marcos (see previous post here).

And yet, most of us would rather remain silent, and take our chances with a government whose reputation is soiled with allegations of corruption and electoral fraud. What choice do we have when virtually all possible legal remedies have been exhausted? Another people power? Nah. We've already worn that out.

I do not have the slightest idea on what can possibly motivate a senior citizen in his 80s to openly declare his desire to topple the current administration and establish himself as president of a transitional body that will oversee the installation of a new government. Except of course, a sincere desire to act for the betterment of the country. There is always that possibility. What else would motivate an old man with a long and distinguished career in public service? He probably has nothing else to gain, except for a possible stint in jail if he ever gets charged. Power? What good is power to a person in the twilight of his life? Of course, he also stands to lose something, that is, the respect of his countrymen, some of which already consider him a nuisance and a lunatic for doing what what he did.

This development, is truly, if nothing else, satirical, for all the strangeness and perverse humor that it seems to present despite the seriousness of the matter. "Only in the Philippines" is a phrase that comes to mind. And it is apt too. Perhaps even too apt.

I humbly submit the theory that "President" Fortunato Abat is a modern day Don Quixote, a person who deep down probably means well, but nonetheless, too idealistic to a fault. He is conceivably doing more harm than good in this little stunt of his of proclaiming a revolutionary government. On one side, it is potentially capable of toppling the Arroyo administration if it ever gets popular support. On the other hand if it fails, at least we would get a a good laugh out of it.

Speculating further, this "revolutionary government" may even be a diversion for a possible coup attempt that has been rumored to take place this month. But how would that be different from any other December? Since President Arroyo stepped into Malacañang, the month of December has always been rife with rumors of a military coup. Never seen one happen though. Not yet anyway. While the coup rumors are common everyday occurences in today's political climate, the formation of a revolutionary government is not. I'll have to hand it to Abat and company. It is a fresh approach. But is it effective? I have my doubts, but who knows? All we can do is wait and see.

Abat may be doing nothing but fighting windmills, but then again, he may be a hero for fighting for what be believes to be a noble goal. Maybe, just maybe, he deserves the benefit of the doubt. There is a saying that a sane person has difficulty in insane surroundings. I can't think of a better example than this one. For all we know, he may very well be on to something.

And he may just have the last laugh.

But let's not hold our breath.

En un lugar de la Mancha, de cuyo nombre no quiero acordarme, no ha mucho tiempo que vivía un hidalgo de los de lanza en astillero, adarga antigua, rocín flaco y galgo corredor.

Links:

Abat group forms revolutionary govt
Palace: Abat's transition govt 'pathetic'
Gov't belittles Abat threat