Elimination (Part 1)
The President's eyelid twitched slightly as she drummed her fingers on the leather top of her narra table in her office. She gazed around the room, seemingly bored, and saw a mirror perched in the corner. Her husband bought it for her on a trip to Switzerland years back, but somehow she couldn't recall where he bought it. She caught a glimpse of her tired, old face, aged by horse-trading, campaign barnstorming, and policy speeches. Now it seemed that there would be more wrinkles on her face as she entered the 2004 presidential campaign filled with dread.
The double doors burst in and a tall, bespectacled man of around 40 entered. Robert Siazon, her long-time Chief of Staff, briskly walked towards her desk, clutching the three national broadsheets. It was something Siazon relished after three years in the post, one of the longest-serving compared to the President's other appointees. He made it a habit of purchasing those three papers once they rolled off the press in the wee hours of the morning, and if necessary, buy the later editions by mid-morning.
"I'm almost always the most well-informed man in Manila," he once boasted. Always ahead of everything, Siazon looked worried the morning.
"Well? What do you have for me?"
Siazon smoothed the edge of his short-sleeved polo and sucked in his breath."Bulletin and Star have headlines on Iraq casualties. Inquirer on a Drilon speech. But, aside from the US presidential elections, Bush versus Kerry, Kerry's running-mate, nada nada nada...it's still about Gutierrez."
The President slammed her fist on the table. "Damn that slick bastard. Is he or isn't he? Damn. I saw him again on TV last night. The ladies' man, he is.There he was, all smiles and fluff. He sure knows how to attract a crowd."
"He is still eligible for another Senate term."
"Yes, I am aware of that, Robbie. What I want to know is whether he'll accept the vice-presidential slot with me."
"You have to ask him that, ma'am."
"I know. But I'm still not sure myself."
Seeking another term with Vice-President Ernesto Figueroa was out of the question. The President thought she could shed her elitist, sheltered image by picking a Vice-President who was one of the masses, with more or less an entertainment appeal--the former two-term Governor of Cebu, Ernesto Figueroa.
Yet the uneasy alliance she made with the crude, hot-tempered Figueroa in 2001 had definitely collapsed. The previous year, Figueroa stormed a Malacanang press conference to denounce the President's foreign policy, with theatrics complete with a raised voice and a fist. Clearly, he had to go. But like all power-hungry officials, the haughty Vice-President didn't have the balls to resign.
"Can he win? Can we win?"
"The polls say that Gutierrez is your only chance to defeat Santos. Pulse Asia and SWS both."
"And Figueroa?"
"Figueroa is out of the question. A non-factor. But I heard from the other party that he might go all the way. Seek the presidency himself."
"Ha! Not a chance. After what he did last year? I'm amazed the bastard can still face the press from time to time. Not even the Osmenas want to associate with him anymore. But anyway, yes, back to Gutierrez. So you believe he is a viable running-mate?"
Siazon nodded slowly.
"Very well. Call Senator Gutierrez's office first thing today and arrange a face-to-face meeting. In private. I want to meet this Man from Maguindanao."
To be continued.
The double doors burst in and a tall, bespectacled man of around 40 entered. Robert Siazon, her long-time Chief of Staff, briskly walked towards her desk, clutching the three national broadsheets. It was something Siazon relished after three years in the post, one of the longest-serving compared to the President's other appointees. He made it a habit of purchasing those three papers once they rolled off the press in the wee hours of the morning, and if necessary, buy the later editions by mid-morning.
"I'm almost always the most well-informed man in Manila," he once boasted. Always ahead of everything, Siazon looked worried the morning.
"Well? What do you have for me?"
Siazon smoothed the edge of his short-sleeved polo and sucked in his breath."Bulletin and Star have headlines on Iraq casualties. Inquirer on a Drilon speech. But, aside from the US presidential elections, Bush versus Kerry, Kerry's running-mate, nada nada nada...it's still about Gutierrez."
The President slammed her fist on the table. "Damn that slick bastard. Is he or isn't he? Damn. I saw him again on TV last night. The ladies' man, he is.There he was, all smiles and fluff. He sure knows how to attract a crowd."
"He is still eligible for another Senate term."
"Yes, I am aware of that, Robbie. What I want to know is whether he'll accept the vice-presidential slot with me."
"You have to ask him that, ma'am."
"I know. But I'm still not sure myself."
Seeking another term with Vice-President Ernesto Figueroa was out of the question. The President thought she could shed her elitist, sheltered image by picking a Vice-President who was one of the masses, with more or less an entertainment appeal--the former two-term Governor of Cebu, Ernesto Figueroa.
Yet the uneasy alliance she made with the crude, hot-tempered Figueroa in 2001 had definitely collapsed. The previous year, Figueroa stormed a Malacanang press conference to denounce the President's foreign policy, with theatrics complete with a raised voice and a fist. Clearly, he had to go. But like all power-hungry officials, the haughty Vice-President didn't have the balls to resign.
"Can he win? Can we win?"
"The polls say that Gutierrez is your only chance to defeat Santos. Pulse Asia and SWS both."
"And Figueroa?"
"Figueroa is out of the question. A non-factor. But I heard from the other party that he might go all the way. Seek the presidency himself."
"Ha! Not a chance. After what he did last year? I'm amazed the bastard can still face the press from time to time. Not even the Osmenas want to associate with him anymore. But anyway, yes, back to Gutierrez. So you believe he is a viable running-mate?"
Siazon nodded slowly.
"Very well. Call Senator Gutierrez's office first thing today and arrange a face-to-face meeting. In private. I want to meet this Man from Maguindanao."
To be continued.