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	Samson and Delilah By Syke Garcia Manila Times [Philippines] Downloaded June 11, 2003 Because Bishop Bacani is an influential political (religious) leader, Mrs. Arroyo is asking the public not to prejudge him. We wish she would also plead for fairness when it involves less influential citizens of our country. Nobody is saying that Bishop Bacani is not a model mentor, an ardent activist and charismatic leader. That is not the issue. The question is: did he or did he not sexually harass his secretary? His other qualities may be great but would they justify taking advantage of an innocent helpless woman? If you believe so, then that's your problem. So what if Bishop Bacani is fond of hugging women? He's an affectionate man and it's only natural that he is inclined to take women in his arms. Would you rather he embrace other men? Hugging women's is not his greatest sin. I think it is his cohabiting with that charismatic leader Brother Mike, who's accumulating millions daily from his innocent followers. What was Bishop Bacani's share of the loot? So what if Mrs. Arroyo changes her mind and agrees to run in 2004? It's a woman's privilege to change her mind. What matters is, is she qualified for the position and if she is performing her job as President effectively. "Enough already" of those whining politicians panting for the position which will give them access to unlimited power and privileges. It's good that the President will be spending much time in Mindanao to bolster the Mindanao Natin program, because if her major ally's wishes come true it will become Mindanao Nila. Whether Lakas likes it or not, Mrs. Arroyo will run for president in 2004 once the surveys and her intelligence team tell her she has a 99-percent chance of winning. After all there is still the matter of counting the votes honestly and accurately. In this country, anything can happen. In his rabid desire to recover power, which he, Erap, in the mind of many people, has forfeited because of his rowdy behavior, Erap would now foment demonstrations and mayhem that can only aggravate the instability of our country. Can he assure all and sundry that once back in the seat of power he will not restore his cohorts, the likes of Atong Ang, Dante Tan, and Mark Jimenez to his side where they may again induce him to make a mockery of the Office of the President? You would think that our very limited supply of foreign exchange (US$) would inspire our government to be more judicious in allocating dollars, but no, the sky is the limit when paying for foreign films and rock artists. Ano ba ito? Can't the Monetary Board set up priorities in the use (misuse) of the foreign exchange earned by our overseas workers at great sacrifice? Instead of spending such amounts on foreign entertainers why not pay "this" to Filipino talents who only require pesos! Of course Cardinal Sin wants Mrs. Arroyo to run in 2004. You see, women in this country are submissive to religious leaders. Cardinal Sin will not want to lose the unmitigated flow of privileges the Catholic Church has been enjoying since the time of the friars. So too, Big Mike and the Cabinet officials who are all enjoying the perks and privileges of power. Naturally they want the President to remain in office if possible indefinitely. We don't hold any brief for the President but between Gloria and Erap, there is no contest as to who acts and behaves the way a President should. Mrs. Arroyo may not be the ideal CEO but she knows what the presidency is all about and she certainly does her homework. Erap thinks he's King Canute. God help us if he ever gets back the powers of the presidentcy. He's simply an actor whose role as President is too complicated for his limited talents. As my former boss once told me, actors are not real people. What can you do when the very officials of a body such as the Energy Regulatory Commission approve a rate increase that will add a P200-million profit to this rogue corporation? It's bad enough that Meralco is unable to refund its customers the P58 billion it overcharged. Now the commission will even suck P200 million more from the poor helpless electric power consumers! The Japanese ambassador's remarks about peace and order here may have been somewhat undiplomatic, but certainly not exaggerated. If he was not a diplomat, his comments may be construed to mean relative to the situation in Tokyo. Anyway, US Ambassador Francis J. Ricciardone provided damage control, so President Arroyo owes him one now. All this talk about truce or permanent truce with the MILF is a waste of time. The rebels in Mindanao are not interested in a truce. What they want is to take over the government or make Mindanao a separate country under their rule. It's like the continuing conflict between the Jews and the Palestinians. The fight started during biblical times, as far back as Samson and Delilah, and the conflict is already a way of life in the "middle" East. The only peace that can be attained with both parties is the rest-in-peace variety. Parents with daughters should take note of the Hillary/Bill Clinton saga, and warn their daughters about dashing, attractive husbands, who are always being chased by other women. Just because a man marries does not mean that he is already a property of the "wanan" he marries. The ability to keep him interested in you and resist the charms of other women is what will make you a woman of substance.
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