Looking beyond Arroyo

June 2010 may still be more than 18 months away, but Filipinos are already looking forward to the day when Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is due to step down from power after nine years of tumultuous reign.

In 2009 politicians are expected to gear up for the presidential race and civil society groups to guard against plots to derail the May 2010 vote.

The 61-year-old U.S.-educated Philippine leader has assured Filipinos that she will vacate her post when her term ends in 2010, leaving behind strong economic fundamentals that she hopes will tide the country over amid the raging global economic crisis.

Arroyo said the unpopular economic and fiscal reforms she instituted during her nine-year rule, especially an increase in value-added taxes, had strengthened the economy.

She cited the 32-year-high gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 7.2 per cent recorded in 2007 as proof that her reforms were working.

But for Marita Lacsamana, 34, a mother of six living in a slum district in Manila, the figure does not mean much since prices of rice and other basic commodities have risen astronomically under the stewardship of Arroyo.

"They told us the economy is strong, the economy is doing okay, but prices of rice and other basic commodities continue to rise, bus fares remain high, electricity rates continue to rise, but our income is not getting any higher," she said. "I don’t know what they mean when they say the economy is strong."

Lacsamana said she is looking forward to the elections in May 2010, when Filipinos could choose a new leader who would be more sensitive to the plight of the country’s impoverished millions, or more than a third of the estimated 90 million population.

For John Nosenas, 64, a social activist and university professor, 2010 promises to give Filipinos a fresh start after nine years of unbridled corruption. "Corruption is so prevalent in this government, everybody seems to be doing it, from the lowly clerks to senior officials," he said.

Arroyo was catapulted into power in January 2001 after a military-backed mass uprising ousted former president Joseph Estrada. She has been facing failed coups and impeachment bids over allegations of vote-rigging and corruption.

An anti-corruption watchdog has already filed a criminal case against Arroyo before the country’s ombudsman to lay the foundation for her possible prosecution once she steps down from power in 2010.

But Arroyo’s allies in the House of Representatives have resumed efforts to tinker with the country’s 20-year-old constitution in a bid to allow the scandal-tainted leader to rule longer.

Congressman Herminigildo Mandanas even authored a resolution calling for the extension for one year of the terms of all incumbent officials and moving the elections to 2011, ostensibly to synchronize local and national polls.

Vicente Romano, leader of the Black and White Movement that has persistently called for Arroyo’s resignation, said 2010 would be an opportunity for the people to elect a new leader who can lead the country in "another direction".