AMONG the members of Arroyo’s Cabinet Raul Gonzales Sr. stands out as the most hated, reviled and made fun of, head of a national department in the Republic of the Philippines.

It is to her credit that Arroyo keeps Gonzalez because he is an asset to her administration as he is a very loyal lapdog, notwithstanding his antics. Arroyo lets him loose once in a while so he could intimidate the opposition, and deliver not-so-subtle warnings to anyone who opposes Arroyo. She could keep him at arm’s length, or say that he acted on his own. What Raul Gonzalez Sr. is doing to the office he is occupying now is to smear it with the blood of the innocent citizens of the republic; he is also prostituting the justice system for his own ends, and bringing ridicule to the most venerable and respectable department of the country, while members of the national bar listen to him play his harp.

– Alfonso DeMayo, Vancouver, Canada (via e-mail)

By Veronica Uy
INQUIRER.net

Editor’s note: INQUIRER.net reporter Veronica Uy was one of the journalists who covered the Makati Standoff at The Peninsula Manila on Nov. 29. This blog entry was written tongue-in-cheek and is meant to share what she experienced on the field and her thoughts on the events that unfolded.

1. Don’t stage it from a five-star hotel. It has been done before and it failed miserably. Do it from where it will create a lot more impact. A television station, a military camp, and of course Malacañang are the best bets. Communist rebels still wage their revolution from among their professed constituents of the poor in the countryside. Does Senator Antonio Trillanes IV know who his are? The 11 million voters who voted for him? Come on!

2. Don’t do it before a long weekend. People have already made plans. They don’t need another diversion when they are busy living their own lives or simply eking out a living. And certainly don’t do it close to the holidays. Filipinos live for temporary escapes from life’s hardships. Don’t be a Grinch and rob us of these momentary illusions. Even the most sensational coup attempts waged during this time of year were simply that — attempts.

3. Don’t just wing it. This is not a stand-up comedy act. Manila Pen was a battle zone and lines were drawn and people could’ve gotten killed. You can’t just escape your armed escorts and proceed with the attitude, “Let’s see who’ll join me and we’ll take it from there.” Have a plan, man.

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