Heightened political divisiveness
Political divisiveness is expected to further heighten as the nation awaits the verdict of the Sandiganbayan, the country’s anti-graft court, to the 6-year old plunder case of Joseph “Erap” Estrada on September 12. The much-awaited promulgation over the charges of alleged jueteng payola and tobacco tax kickback against the deposed president will determine his fate as a freeman or a felon, thereby bringing the Erap vs. Gloria storyline to a greater level of apprehension until 2010 and even beyond.
Resurrection of the Hello Garci controversy
The round of Senate inquiries over the Hello Garci controversy called by the opposition bloc has brought again to the fore the issue of illegitimacy surrounding the Arroyo presidency, rendering it an intense battleground between pro- and anti-Arroyo forces. Administration senators criticized the opposition for exploiting it as a venue to launch their bid to the presidency in 2010 at the expense of the taxpayers’ money. Oppositionists, on the other hand, accused the Arroyo loyalists of stonewalling and cover-up. Meanwhile, Senate President Manny Villar assured that his leadership will not lose its focus to the legislative function of the Upper Chamber considering the urgency to pass priority socio-economic bills.
Political divisiveness is expected to further heighten as the nation awaits the verdict of the Sandiganbayan, the country’s anti-graft court, to the 6-year old plunder case of Joseph “Erap” Estrada on September 12. The much-awaited promulgation over the charges of alleged jueteng payola and tobacco tax kickback against the deposed president will determine his fate as a freeman or a felon, thereby bringing the Erap vs. Gloria storyline to a greater level of apprehension until 2010 and even beyond.
Resurrection of the Hello Garci controversy
The round of Senate inquiries over the Hello Garci controversy called by the opposition bloc has brought again to the fore the issue of illegitimacy surrounding the Arroyo presidency, rendering it an intense battleground between pro- and anti-Arroyo forces. Administration senators criticized the opposition for exploiting it as a venue to launch their bid to the presidency in 2010 at the expense of the taxpayers’ money. Oppositionists, on the other hand, accused the Arroyo loyalists of stonewalling and cover-up. Meanwhile, Senate President Manny Villar assured that his leadership will not lose its focus to the legislative function of the Upper Chamber considering the urgency to pass priority socio-economic bills.
