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In their usual fashion, two
Americans meet, and after five minutes, each will be
calling the other by his nickname: Chuck, Bill, Arnie,
Fatso, etc. Manilans who were glued to the TV screen,
thus "meeting" US President George W. Bush for all of
eight hours, can therefore call him, albeit
presumptuously, Dubya.
Even on television, Dubya
projected a definite presence, the quiet charm of a
Texan country boy. He could have taught those of our
politicians, who strut around with bloated egos, a thing
or two because he was simple and direct in manner,
betraying neither bluster nor arrogance.
Of
course, like a typical politician, he kissed the babies
(at least a special one) and hugged the ladies, later
improving on this by kissing the ladies, too, like a
full-blooded macho.
His speech at the Batasan
was that of a master psychologist, flattering and
complimenting his listeners to high heavens, although
many of his historical "facts" were far from accurate.
But his ghost writers did try to do their homework upon
Dubya’s bidding by alluding to Rizal (our national
hero), Quezon (our most dynamic nationalist), and Pope
John Paul II. What a brilliant stroke of inspiration! On
his last visit in 1995, His Holiness had two million
adoring Filipinos, many of them from the provinces,
greeting him at the Luneta. Again, the quotes from these
illustrious figures were not quite applicable, but the
hearty applause from the enlightened was at least for
the good intentions of a visiting dignitary.
Laura, for her part, was absolutely charming and
gracious. She arrived in a simple suit; except for a
pair of tiny earrings which were hardly noticeable, she
wore no adornment. (Socialites, please take note.) Doing
what came naturally to her as a former school teacher,
she read a little story to schoolchildren whom she later
watched intently as a select few danced, sang and
re-enacted a play about a bamboo tree. Doubtless, the
performance proved that in music and dance, the
Filipino’s inherent talent is unmatched. Demonstrating
another trait – hospitality – the children showered
Laura with native gifts; in return, Laura handed the
book from which she had read, to the teacher for the
youngsters’ use.
Everything went with clockwork
precision; indeed, the rest of the proceedings in the
Palace – including the dinner – were as closely
organized as a Central Station daily schedule. This
inevitably reflected President GMA’s administrative
ability; most of the preparations for the state visit
were being made while she was abroad attending
conferences!
The general impression is that the
visit of Dubya and Laura was a huge success; no untoward
incident occurred; no terrorist reared his frightening
head. The visitors took even the rallyists in stride. In
this regard, it is the country’s hope that Dubya will
eventually realize the validity of the demonstrators’
protest. For one, the toxic wastes in Clark and Subic
have caused and continue to cause death and disease to
hundreds of residents. For another, the veterans still
have to receive their just compensation for a war that
took place over half a century ago! Why were Dubya and
Laura not allowed to see the shanties of the squatters?
The sight would have emphasized all the more our
poverty, and by extension, the urgency of the veterans’
plea. In disguising the shanties, we seemed to have
proved certain congressman’s contention that the
Philippines is a poor country pretending to be rich.
The more up-to-date complaint of the rallyists
is the inequity in RP-US trade relations, but I leave
the economists to explain these.
There are other
gross inequities in the "maturing friendship" between
the two countries but Dubya is not entirely to blame for
them. Apropos, Rizal observed, "There are no tyrants
where there are no slaves." Our leaders should always
bear that truism in mind.
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