Arab News, 5/24/03

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s state visit to the United States this week was nothing short of triumphal. A 21-gun salute on the White House South Lawn greeted the president on Monday morning, along with a smiling US President George W. Bush and his most trusted aides.

After the US had struggled to get open support for its invasion and occupation of Iraq in April, getting only lukewarm support from some allies and outright opposition from others, the Bush administration was using the symbolism of all this pomp and pageantry to reward faithful allies. And who deserved it more than America’s most faithful ally in Asia, the Philippines?

Not only did President Arroyo go home smiling, but the Philippines was named a major non-NATO ally of the US, meaning it will now qualify for increased US military loans, cheaper US military equipment and the chance to stockpile equipment. But wait a minute, stockpile equipment? I thought the US had already worked out agreements to keep equipment in the Philippines after its bases were closed down in 1992? In any event, is that really a plus point for the Philippines? Especially when these stockpiles could theoretically include nuclear weapons. I don’t think so.

Which reminds me of the recently divulged secret that the United States kept nuclear weapons at Clark Air Base and Subic Naval Base in the Philippines in the past. The US government had maintained a “neither-confirm-nor-deny” policy then.

Watching the adoring coverage that ABS-CBN television was giving to the president’s US visit Tuesday night (triumphal music played as the title “Gloria sa Amerika” was flashed on the screen in big letters), I commented to a friend that she was probably planning to run for re-election after getting President Bush’s endorsement.

Sure enough yesterday, the Inquirer newspaper ran a story entitled “Fifty-fifty chance Macapagal runs in ‘04”, quoting a coy administration source who wished to remain anonymous.

The gist of the story was that President Bush wants to continue the special relationship he has with the Arroyo administration beyond 2004, and thus has presumably encouraged President Arroyo to run for re-election. But this whole premise turns on the fact that President Bush also has to be re-elected in 2004, something that he is not assured of given the unpredictability of the capricious US electorate.

But it seems that both presidents have really clicked. President Arroyo’s vocal support of the global war on terror has resonated with Bush and cemented the relationship. As one wire agency story pointed out, there are many similarities between the two presidents: Both are 56, both were sworn into office on the same day (both were also attacked for lacking the backing of a majority of the electorate), and both are children of former presidents.

Whether or not President Arroyo runs for re-election remains to be seen. Her insistent denials could well turn into a “yes” for re-election, as these things often do. It’s the classic, “I’m hurt from all the criticisms of my performance, but if the public is clamoring for me to run again, what can I do, di ba?” It’s just a little sad that the president seems to be more popular in the White House than back home.

Comments or questions? Email the author at: rasheed@arabnews.com.