Revision

                
It is not that Gloria would have no shame selling her revisionist herstory. No, that does not shock anymore. Having endured nine years of bold-faced lies, this is no longer new. What is shocking is that she did not go all the way. Gaddemit Gloria! If you are going to cheat, cheat very well. And if you are going to lie, hire a better writer.


This is my version of herstory:


December 30, 2002, Rizal Day. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, moved by her sense of selfless servitude to the Filipino people, announces with finality that she will not run for the presidency. Not even while that remains a legal option and those close to her swears she will win. But no, Gloria Macapal-Arroyo, realizes that her mere presence at the palace, given how she came to power, is the one divisive issue that hinders the nation's moving forward. There are over 80 million Filipinos, she reasons. Surely, one among them, and not me, can be a better president, if only because that means a fresh start for all of us. 


The announcement was met with thunderous applause, not just from the press people gathered for the announcement, but all over the archipelago for the next few months leading to the elections. The Filipino people appreciated the ultimate show of statesmanship. 


In her final State of the Nation address, Gloria Macapal-Arroyo, promised that her final year as president will be dedicated to ensuring a smooth transition of power via honest, credible, and clean elections.


And so it came to pass, backed by the administration, Manny Villar would become president in 2004. His would be a boring presidency. And boring, of course, meant a smooth uneventful presidency. The biggest scandal that would rock his presidency was the rumored love-affair of his daughter to Willie Revillame, which as it turned out, was untrue.