Commentary: Dureza prays for Arroyo in Malacañang beyond 2010

COMMENTARY FROM PERRY DIAZ

Press Secretary Jesus Dureza’s prayer for President Gloria Arroyo to lead the nation “perhaps beyond 2010″ is not humor or wishful thinking, that’s the “conventional wisdom” in Malacañang nowadays. For obvious reasons, Dureza and others in the employ of Gloria wouldn’t want to leave their perky — and influential positions — in the Arroyo government.

The coup that ousted Senate President Manny Villar and replaced by Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile would further strengthen Gloria’s power and grip on the three branches of the government. In effect, that would remove any mechanism for “checks and balances” which is the very reason for having three independent branches of government. What’s going to happen next is de facto dictatorship. And who is there to oppose Gloria?

Perry

November 18, 2008
Dureza prays for Arroyo in Malacañang beyond 2010
by Jocelyn Montemayor
Malaya

“We pray for the President, that she may have forbearance, good health, and tolerance to lead this nation until 2010, and who knows, perhaps even beyond,” Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said yesterday as he recited his prayer at the start of the Cabinet meeting.

“Oh my God!” and a glare were what Dureza got from a shocked President Arroyo, who covered her face.

At the end of the prayer, a smiling Arroyo asked media men who were allowed to cover that portion of the meeting to leave the room as she said “that prayer is off the record.”

Dureza later also asked media if they could refrain from releasing the videos of the prayer portion.

An “off the record” request from media is normally made before any event, and honored. The request is never honored after coverage.

Dureza clarified they initially asked that the prayer be “off the record” for fear it would be misinterpreted or taken in a different light.

He also said he was not reprimanded by the President for his “personal prayer” and it was not even mentioned when he talked to the President after the Cabinet meeting when he inquired about her phone conversation with United States President-elect Barack Obama.

Dureza said while his prayer gave a nice angle to media reports and fuelled speculations on moves to amend the Constitution to extend Arroyo’s term beyond 2010, “I said that in that context (of personal and private capacity), so you don’t have to milk it and give it another spin.”

In a media briefing after the Cabinet meeting, Dureza said he was not praying for an extension of Arroyo’s term. He said he simply wished that Arroyo would be able to continue on a “personal and private capacity on serving beyond 2010.”

Dureza said his prayer was meant to be “light” and with a “sense of humor” which he said was accepted and even laughed off by the President and the Cabinet men.

He said those who took his prayer the wrong way had no sense of humor.

Dureza at the start of the meeting prayed for the Cabinet to be blessed and to be able to attend to their own “personal affairs” and the “affairs of the State” and for Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap who recently celebrated his birthday to be “blessed.”

He also prayed for newly elected Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile whom he described as the oldest to assume the post. Enrile is 84 years old.