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Billiards could explain President Aquino’s style of problem-solving

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By Raissa Robles

BilliardsWhen imagining President Benigno Aquino’s style of problem-solving, the game you should be thinking of is billiards.

For instance, to be able to haul former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to court, Aquino carefully, patiently and methodically set up shots to pick out one obstacle after another. The shots came from unexpected angles.

Highly placed sources, familiar with what happened, explained to Asian Dragon what actions Aquino took to attain his political objective and why the game of billiards is key to understanding his future actions. They spoke on condition of anonymity.

Aquino started by breaking the rack – in billiard-speak – by issuing Executive Order Number 1. It established a Truth Commission to investigate all alleged corruption cases during the Arroyo administration.

When the Supreme Court issued an injunction against EO 1, Aquino set up another shot – the removal of Merceditas Gutierrez from the Office of the Ombudsman – since only the Ombudsman is constitutionally allowed to prosecute graft cases.

One of the sources explained how really close Mrs Gutierrez was to Mrs Arroyo – she was the law school classmate of Mrs Arroyo’s spouse Jose Miguel. When they were all single, Merceditas, her would-be husband and the Arroyo couple had gone double-dating. In short, they were a cozy foursome who had enjoyed one another’s company.

Seen from this perspective, it was understandable why Mrs Arroyo entrusted the anti-graft investigation office to Mrs Gutierrez.

It seemed next to impossible to remove her since she had tenure and only a tedious impeachment process would work. The first one which was filed against her in 2009 was dead in the water, blocked by her congressional allies.

Two other complaints were filed against her as soon as Arroyo stepped down from office and Aquino took her place. But for nearly a year, Aquino supporters fretted and waited for his congressional allies to move against Gutierrez.

Now it can be told that early on, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa was personally directed by President Aquino to negotiate with Gutierrez her exit from the post.

When she refused to budge, Aquino bided his time until he had the numbers in the House of Representatives to get her impeached. Sources said the debate inside the presidential palace on whether or not the time was ripe to move against Gutierrez was intense and furious.

But Aquino was adamant. He wanted to make doubly sure the House had the numbers to pull it through. Even a dip in his popularity poll ratings due to his inability to deliver on promises did not nudge him from biding his time.

Finally on March 22, 2011, the House impeached an Ombudsman for the very first time even though nearly a year before that, the chamber was dominated by Arroyo allies. Most of them had switched over to Aquino’s side. Rather than face an impeachment trial, Gutierrez resigned on April 29, 2011, shortly before her trial was to start.

Aquino had won the first rack.

The second rack or match was more complicated still. Even with a more independent Ombudsman, the latter’s actions could still be blocked by a Supreme Court led by a former Arroyo aide – then Chief Justice Renato Corona – and dominated by Arroyo appointees.

This is where the game of billiards is such an apt metaphor to explain what happened next.

Everyone thought the next political target of the House – which was by then dominated by Aquino allies – was Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo. In May 2011, days after Gutierrez’ resignation, the House Committee on Justice had voted 11-10 to declare an impeachment complaint against Justice Del Castillo “sufficient in form”.

The public waited to see what would happen next to the new impeachment complaint.

Unknown to the public, however, after Congress resumed in July, the spadework to build a case against Corona quietly began – first with the scrutiny of his Statement of Assets, Liability and Net Worth (SALNs) and his various real properties.

In mid-November 2011 when Arroyo, her spouse and aides were blocked trying to board a plane to Singapore, the effort to get Corona impeached went on high gear, the sources said.

What happened next was like a shot played by the pool magician Efren “Bata” Reyes. Before she had stepped down from the presidency, Mrs. Arroyo had – to continue the analogy – made sure that the object ball (Corona) was well barricaded.

The obstacles consisted of a House dominated by her allies, a graft investigation office headed by a friend and a Chief Justice seat for Corona extending well beyond Aquino’s tenure and secured by an SC ruling that justified his midnight appointment.

But somehow, Aquino threaded his shots around these obstacles and nailed the object ball, putting it into a pocket.

When Corona realized he was about to be impeached, it was too late to prevent his impeachment by the House all of one day, December 12, 2011.

One of the sources described President Aquino’s actions in this manner: “Every time he would be convinced one door was shutting, he would again ramp it up in another avenue. You could see he was trying to calculate it, trying to push it forward.”

When that didn’t work, “then he would fall silent and find another way…there is a lot of dodging around and jumping from place to place. It’s time consuming,” the source added.

“His concept of political time is different from everybody else’s,” the same source warned.

This simply means that when people think President Aquino has given up on an idea or a cause or a course of action, he hasn’t. He keeps his moves close to his chest and will simply surprise everyone.

Sources described Aquino as having “a deliberate style”.

“He’s not in his best element when things are happening fast like in the Luneta bus hostage taking,” one of them said.

[This article first appeared in the December 2012 issue of Asian Dragon magazine and is being reprinted here with its permission.] 

UPDATE as of 11:40 pm, January 5, 2013 :

Thanks @Baycas for finding the photo below of PNoy, the pool Magician Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante visiting the presidential palace.

The Magician of Billiards, Efren "Bata" Reyes (R), together with rising champion Francisco "Django" Bustamante visit a billiards enthusiast (PNOY, center) inside the presidential palace. [This photo appeared in balita.ph.]

 

Comments

  1. di ako masyado marunong sa rules ng billiards. pero kapag nanonood ako ng mga laro nila efren “bata” reyes et al, namamangha ako. ang galing talaga ng pinoy. ang larong ito ay di kailangan ng tangkad, macho, gwapo. bakit di ang mga ganitong sports ang pagsikapan ng ating gobyerno na encourage sa mga kabataan?
    sa murang edad pa lamang ay exposed na sila. ito ay laro ng isip at strategy.
    kaya tama lang na ihalintulad ang laro na ito sa mga plano at action ni Pnoy.

    • Naku, pasensiya na po, kaso malamang ang magsugal, tumambay at masama sa maling barkada kasi ang mas natutunan ng mga bata sa billiard, kaya siguro mdaming magulang ang medyo takot na tumambay ang mga anak sa mga bilyaran. Tignan nyo na lang po sina Efren, kelan lang naman sila nasama sa ‘spotlight’, noong lang mauso ang mga international competition na may mga cash prizes… Actually nga, may mga local governments pa nga na gumawa ng mga ordinances na bawal ang mga bilyaran within a definite distance from the school kasi, madalas akala ng mga magulang nasa school ang mga anak nila yon pala nasa bilyaran… Unless siguro ma-address ang problemang yon, don, puwedeng mabago ang pananaw ng ilang magulang tungkol sa bilyar.

  2. KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! Tanung lang, Po ! Merong tanong isang Pinoy sa tabi koh. I cannot understand her, so I will let her do the typing ….

    Hello, magandang umaga, Po. Merong lang akong tanong. Ba’t ang Australia progresibo kung sila man ang mga magnanakaw i-komparar mo sa Philippines na magnanakaw.

    OK.

    That is her question. I do not know what she’s saying but she’s laughing at me right now. Will someone interpret this for me, please? Maraming Thank yous Po !

      • I told her it is “Ignacio”. She tilt her head to the sky rubbing her chin. Hmmm …. it appears the answer is not “Ignacio”. I wish someone could translate her question for me in english so I can dive in the conversation.

  3. From the Abs-Cbn News

    Suspended Cebu governor barred from leaving country

    The Sandiganbayan 2nd division has denied the motion of suspended Cebu governor Garcia to lift hold departure order the anti graft court issued against her in connection with three criminal charges she is facing.

    Justice Secretary De Lima advised the suspended Cebu governor Garcia to step down now.

    • Garcia did not want to leave Capitol. She barricaded herself. THEREFORE, SHE WANTED TO STAY IN THE PHILIPPINES. RIGHT?

      So, therefore, plata-lata-pang-PORMA lang yung HOLD DEPARTURE ORDER.

      Galing talaga ‘topng mga Filipino sa mga pa-PORMA-PORMA …..

      • She wants to stay in power. That is not paramount to wanting to stay in the Philippines. You should know more than that.

    • From the Manila Standard today,

      Associate Justice Vicente Veloso said Garcia could lose her case on a technicality because her lawyer cited the wrong rule in her petition.

      President Aquino said the government will exercise maximum tolerance in dealing with the problems caused by Garcia’s defiance of his orders.
      ” Let her have five minutes in the sun.” President Aquino said.

      • It appeared that Gwen’s tranquil lawyer made a mistake on her behalf.

        I await the final CA final decision…

      • From Abs-Cbn news.

        Atty. Christina Garcia-Frasco said, her mother will stay at the Capitol WHATEVER the decision of the Court of Appeals may be.
        If it turns out to the contrary, the option is open to seek an appeal to the Supreme Court.

        The spokesman of Liberal Party, Atty. Democrito Barcenas said that the LP is set to file 16 more cases against suspended Cebu governor Garcia.

  4. From Inquirer news, what the f….K! P30M P1.8M each senator except Trilla, Pia, Peter & Meriam only P250th each… excerpt…

    “Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile played Santa Claus last Christmas, making a list and checking it twice as he gave gifts to Senate members and personnel apparently on the basis of who were “naughty” or “nice.”

    Enrile gave 22 senators a total of almost P30 million, a gift that one senator said was “unconscionable and unconstitutional.”

    Traditional daw ito! Susma! Daming pobre kailangan yan pera na yan! Kailan mag a-ala Reyes kaya yun mga senadores?

    Mahiya kayo ‘honorables’!

    • @Leona, they should not be ashamed. That is what Filipino people wanted thru their votes.

      I remember asking my parents, “If God love us so much why so much miseries”

      My parents answered: “God made us, so, God can do anything he wants”

      TUMPAK !!!!!

      So, the people elected Enrile over and over again BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT FILIPINO PEOPLE WANTED …. errrrr ….. este …. THAT IS WHAT THE PHILIPPINE MEDIA WANTED FOR FILIPINOS TO VOTE ….

    • hayyy naku, kukulubot lang mukha mo sa inis, pinilit ko na lang unawain, ganun ba talaga ang politico sa Pinas, pinagkakaperahan??? Masakit pa pedeng ibulsa yun sobra hayyyy, makapaglagay na nga ng facial cream he he he he tyak nito yari ako kay MRP he he he

      • 30M to already-wealthy compadres ?

        Who in the world would part with 30M ?

        Where did this 30M came from that the Enrile gave away ?

        Shouldn’t 30M be given to his houseslaves instead ?

        Naaaaks !!!!

        WELCOME TO THE PHILIPPINES !!!!!! If it were done in America, REAL JOURNALISTS would pounce on it day in and day out. They’d be sparring in Meet the Press Sunday mornings till it is wrung dry of facts.

    • mam/sir leona, halalan po ngayon 2013. yung nabigyan ng malalaking bonus, milyones, ay malalawak ang lugar nila at ikakampanya nila ang anak ng nagbigay. at yung maliliit lang ang ibinigay, libo libo lnga, ay kalaban ng nagbigay.

      di ba dapat ibinigay na lang sa mga departamento ng pamahalaan na nangangailangan ng pera para pantulong sa mga mamamayan. halimbawa ay sa departamento ng edukasyon para sa pagpapatayo ng mga paaralan at mga gamit ng mga bata tulad ng mga mesa at aklat ng mga bata o kaya sa departamento ng kalusugan dahil marami ang nagkasakit na mga nasalanta ng kalamidad.
      bakit binigyan pa ang mga senadores eh memron na silang mga pondo. HINDI NA NILA IBABAHAGI ANG MGA NATANGGAP NILA KASI MAY SINABI NA ANG COA NA PUEDE NILA GASTAHIN KAHIT SAAN AT PAANO NILA GASTAHIN ANG MGA IBINIGAY SA KANILANG BONUS. KAYA SIGURADO SA PANSARILI NA LANG NILA.

      • @pinay710,
        “halalan po ngayon 2013. yung nabigyan ng malalaking bonus, milyones, ay malalawak ang lugar nila at ikakampanya nila ang anak ng nagbigay. at yung maliliit lang ang ibinigay, libo libo lng, ay kalaban ng nagbigay…yan ang sagot sa tanong mo sa ibaba. magaling ka talaga pinay710…nauuna pa ang sagot sa tanong…:)

        “di ba dapat ibinigay na lang sa mga departamento ng pamahalaan na nangangailangan ng pera para pantulong sa mga mamamayan?”

  5. Off topic but maybe …o.k.

    Just read Comelec gun ban…1000 applied already for “exemption”? What’s the ban for? At the end there will be no gun ban if 10,000 people civilians, etc., are carrying guns during election period!

    Gun ban is gun ban! Only those allowed in the law should carry gun. No more no less.

  6. More power to Raissa and the CPM in 2013!

    Are the court filings in the ongoing Corona tax case public record and can be discussed in your blog? I am sure the “de campanillas” here at CPM will make it a lively discussion.

    Thanks and keep on blogging!