Ex-justice secretary: Moderate enthusiasm to demonize Arroyo

MANILA, Philippines—If allies of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo are rarely seen rallying behind their beleaguered leader, according to staunch supporter former Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, there must be some good reason.

“Yes, definitely,” Gonzalez said in admission that support from congressmen and members of Lakas-CMD, of which Arroyo was a former chair, has dwindled, especially after she was placed under arrest for allegedly masterminding the rigging of the 2007 elections.

“Victory has many fathers. But defeat is an orphan,” Gonzalez said, invoking the old saying to explain the former President’s situation. He considered Arroyo’s case as a “defeat” as she was no longer in power and she was now subject to different pressures.

“How do you expect her allies to support her now…. They were protecting themselves from being charged also,” Gonzalez said.

He cited former Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales. “I never saw him visiting GMA. So I phoned him, and asked, ‘Bakit hindi ka makita?’ Then, he promised me he would pay a visit sometime.”

Gonzalez said he could not blame former allies as they may be afraid of harassment and possible charges to be lodged by the present administration.

“In my case, I have nothing to fear,” he said.

The 80-year-old former justice secretary attributed the lack of mass support for Arroyo to the media and what he described as a continuous campaign since 2004 to portray Arroyo negatively.

“The public is bombarded with negative comments about Arroyo every day. They drink coffee while they attack Gloria, they take lunch and dinner while they attack Gloria. They are brainwashed,” he said

Asked if Arroyo was disheartened by the hint that her allies were turning their backs on her, Gonzalez said: “Of course, but she does not speak or complain,” he said. “I feel sorry for her because I have seen her suffer.”

According to Gonzalez, when he saw Arroyo last Sunday at the hospital, she was so different from the President he served.

He said Arroyo’s body has shrunk due to her appetite loss and she could speak only in a whisper.

“When she saw me she tried to stand up, but she almost fell down,” he added.

Gonzalez appealed to the Aquino administration to “moderate (its) enthusiasm in demonizing and besmirching the name of Arroyo.”

He also reminded Arroyo’s opponents about the “good things” Arroyo has done.

“She was a very competent administrator. If there were corruptions in her government, it does not necessarily mean she orchestrated them,” Gonzalez said.