How could a Marcos and a Macapagal be together?

Indeed, in politics, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies. The appointment of the 99-year-old Juan Ponce Enrile as chief presidential legal adviser and the recurrent presence of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in almost all foreign trips of PBBM could either be presented as evidence that PBBM is the most forgiving leader in recent Philippine history, or it could be a palpable proof that he is the most astute and shrewd politician of all. Enrile might be an easy card to decipher. But Macapagal is an enigma. Talk about chameleons.

Well, we all know the saga of Enrile who, together with the late FVR, ignited the EDSA Revolt of 1986, which culminated, of course, in the ouster of the longest reigning head of state and head of government of the country. PBBM, by appointing Enrile to a very sensitive post in his inner sanctum sanctorum, is either showing to all and sundry how forgiving his heart is and how pure is his conscience, or is just cleverly following Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" technique of keeping one's friends close and one's enemies closer. Juan Ponce Enrile, born in 1924, is now 99 years old. But he can still either create value for the BBM administration with his many bags of legal tricks, or he could inflict heavy damage if he would be on the other side. BBM could be more cunning by putting this old fogey in his repository of reserved advisers.

The case of GMA is a different cup of tea. Her father Diosdado Pangan Macapagal, the poor boy from Lubao who topped the Bar exam after finishing with a sterling academic record in UST, was a true-blooded Liberal Party stalwart. He married twice, first to the love of his life, the very beautiful Purita de la Rosa, sister of the matinee idol and later senator, Rogelio dela Rosa, then second, to the rich heiress of the landed Macaraeg gentry from Pangasinan, Dra. Evangelina. GMA was the daughter of the second marriage. The first produced Cielo Macapagal-Salgado who became governor of Pampanga. The scions of the first wife and those of the second were not really very close. In fact, they belonged to opposite political camps. Oil and water.

Diosdado Macapagal, LP, was vice president when the president was Carlos P. Garcia, NP. As vice president, he was not given a Cabinet portfolio by Garcia. Thus, he ran against Garcia and won in 1961. At that time, Ferdinand Marcos was a senator and also with LP. He was allegedly promised by Macapagal to be the LP standard bearer in 1965. But Macapagal supposedly broke that promise. Thus, Marcos resigned from the LP and joined the NP. In 1965, Marcos defeated Macapagal, and it was quite a very bitter defeat. Imagine, an incumbent being trounced by a challenger. Macapagal got a dose of his own medicine. He defeated Garcia who was the incumbent in 1961. At that time the Osmeñas in Cebu aligned with the LP and the Duranos were with the NP, together with Congressman Ed Kintanar from Argao to Alcoy and Manuel Zosa from Toledo to Ronda. The LPs and the NPs were oil and water.

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has now aligned with PBBM. Well, she always aligned with the incumbent as she did during the Duterte years. It was GMA who staged a coup against the House leadership of Bebot Alvarez with the not-so-secret support of Inday Sara who hated Alvarez due to Davao political intramurals. Governor Gwen, at that time was congresswoman representing the 3rd District, while Junjun Davide was governor. Deputy Speaker Gwen stayed with Bebot Alvarez and their group was ultimately defeated by the GMA forces. GMA is one of the shrewdest trapos we will ever have. Her alliance with BBM is, of course, a marriage of convenience. It is palpably a transactional alliance and principles may have nothing to do about it. The chemistry of oil and water.

BBM is also very cagey and even perspicacious in getting GMA to accompany him to foreign trips. The old fogeys in the geopolitical circles of heads of state know GMA from Adam and BBM is just the new guy in the block. BBM could use her contacts while GMA could use BBM to regain her fading glory. Trapo politics is just like that, using one another to advance their selfish agenda. I am not sure if national interest has something to do about it at all.