LIZA ARANETA MARCOS was once a partner of Paquito Ochoa, a powerful Executive Secretary of Noynoy Aquino, belongs to the Mar Roxas side of the influential Araneta family and is now the First Lady of BBM, the first president to be elected by a plurality vote by Filipinos.
For sure, she has tasted power, liked the smell, and enjoyed it on her palate. Without the grace, beauty and elan of her mother-in-law Imelda Marcos, LMA is all fangs – with guile, bravado, and chutzpah. For one, she is an experienced lawyer and is scarred by many battles in court and teaches as a hobby. Quite a formidable woman, really, and has the gall to call herself, even tongue-n-cheek, as The Fierce Lady, a play of words on The First Lady.
She takes on all comers like nobody’s business and was able to decapitate Vic Rodriguez as executive secretary, then as the proposed chief of staff, and then had him footballed thoroughly out of the Palace -disbarred from even small tea parties. Think for a minute that Vic was the closest associate of BBM and engineered his campaign strategy and funding. How powerful can she get?
LAM has called the second highest-ranking elected person in the land -Vice President Sara a “bad shot” and ignored her in many official functions. Sara said she was not stooping to LAM’s level as ” you are as small as your enemy.” To think that BBM and Sara continue to be chummy and hold to each other for political survival as a Uniteam tandem.
LAM will torpedo anyone who hurts her sons and will see them in hell- or anything lower than that. LAM reportedly caused the appointment of more than a dozen key people in the current bureaucracy and military. When an ISAFP general reportedly drew a matrix of people who did Rodriguez in and pointed indirectly at her, the general was axed.
She was reportedly peeved that Rodriguez disapproved her recommendees described by Vic as “crooks who will eventually hurt BBM”, that LAM threw all and the kitchen sink to Vic. He was then accused of stealing millions from BBM’s campaign funds and Rodriguez suddenly became history. The wrong side, it seems.
He did reverse psychology by trivializing the Duterte accusation that BBM is “bangag” (stoned by drugs) by saying she looks “bangag” herself not realizing that anyone in that state of stupor can make gravely wrong decisions and even endanger the nation’s national security.
Our state of warfare (even if only in words) with China and our overt pivot to America places the nation in a very precarious situation today- let alone play around with the drug use issue with the powers-that-be.
In the meantime, Glen Chiong, one of the previous palace IT men publicly claimed that LAM had a meeting (two weeks before the polls) with representatives of Smartmatic (election IT provider) which is a gross legal violation since her husband was a presidential candidate.
Gen. Eliseo Rio former government’s top IT man, a former Comelec Commissioner and several IT experts have gone to the Supreme Court claiming the last 2022 election was electronically rigged in favor of BBM. Smartmatic has also been banned from bidding for RP polls. It also faces several lawsuits abroad related to poll irregularities.
Reports have it that LAM has an “inside operator” in the Office of the President in the person of Anna Lisa Logan who reports directly to BBM and can bypass both Executive Secretary Bersamin and even chief legal adviser Juan Ponce Enrile. Is this true?
Resigned Press Secretary Atty Trixie Cruz Angeles took off likewise because she could not stand the heat in the kitchen. She said though with no chain of command link with LAM, the latter has been berating cabinet secretaries. When she and LAM had a falling out, LAM threatened not to pay her designated loyal underlings. Angeles resigned rather than get fired.
In a recent expensive one-hour interview with jaded broadcaster Anthony Taberna (who used to be a fawning Duterte fan), LAM denied BBM is “under the saya” and implied she was just supportive of her husband for whom she gave up a lucrative law practice.
In the meantime, BBM’s approval rating dove from December’s 68% to a low 55% or 52% given the margin of error. Those who disapproved of BBM skied up to 24% in March from a very low 9% in December. That’s 15 million people giving BBM a dagger look.
How will BBM perform henceforth given LAM’s tendencies to run roughshod on people due to reckless imprudence or willful vengeance?
LAM seems to be the only First Lady in recent memory after Imeda’s charming usurpation of power during Marcos Sr.’s era- to exhibit Machiavellian savvy and extraordinary guile. And knows what power is and how to use it. How far will she go? Who can stop her?
WOMAN POWER IS HERE -EMBRACE IT
THE RECENT BOHOL POLL showed the “lady power” in local politics. In the positively high net satisfaction rating are three lady elected officials garnering the highest points, namely: Rep. Alexie Tutor, 89%,1st termer Rep. Vanessa Aumentado, 87% and City Mayor Jane Yap 85%.
This proves basically that women, this time, are equal to or even better than some of their male counterparts. We need the voice of the women sector heard in the halls of law-making bodies and performing top-ranked executive acumen. We are proud of these three Boholana leaders who showed their utmost dedication to serve the people as shown in the net satisfaction rating done by our readers and listeners.
The influence of women could be far greater now as also shown this time with modern-day women leaders. One is lawyer Gigi Biliran who led the voice of the opposition to the infamous proposed reclamation project in Tagbilaran. She was awarded last month as one of the “Women Power” by the Philippine Daily Inquirer
May their tribe increase as we approach the celebration of Mother’s Day.
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