MANILA, Philippines—Infighting is not a strange thing in Malacañang but the alleged factionalism between the “Samar” and “Balay” groups in the Aquino administration is the worst, according to two senators who said they “have seen it all” after the Edsa revolution.
“There is always [discord in any administration]. You can’t take that away except that in this administration, the factionalism is deeper and [worse] than previous ones,” said Sen. Edgardo Angara, who was executive secretary during pardoned plunder convict Joseph Estrada’s short-lived tenure as president.
“From Aquino to Ramos to Erap to Gloria—I have seen [these administrations] close hand and I know how different factions fight each other. But this is the only administration where there are too many factions and competition is very fierce,” Angara said.
Even before he stepped into power last June 30, President Benigno Aquino III’s core team of supporters—assembled hastily for his surprise candidacy in the May 2010 elections—has always been filled with tension and conflict.
On one end are groups and individuals who frequent his campaign headquarters on Samar Avenue in Quezon City and on the other end are supporters and kibitzers who make the Balay headquarters of the Liberal Party at the Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City, their meeting place.
Angara said these groups have competed for Cabinet seats, government posts and budget allocations.
“Competition is good because it will inspire and motivate others to be at their best, but it can also be destructive because they can destroy each other. If the goal is to destroy each other, they will destroy their own boss and their own administration,” he said.
This factionalism has also led to what critics describe as the amateurish way the Aquino administration has been running government in its first three months, as the President has been forced not only to choose the best people to run the government but to maintain the balance of power between his warring allies.
Sen. Joker Arroyo, who was executive secretary in the administration of President Aquino’s late mother Corazon, described the current Aquino administration as no better than a “student council or student government” with a list of blunders and bloopers piling up as the days pass.
Arroyo said Malacañang has become a “hit or miss” administration where the President has been forced to use his political capital and own up to his people’s mistakes.
“His people think the President should cover for them because he’s like Teflon—no amount of criticism can stick to him. But this is totally wrong, the officials around the President are supposed to protect him, not the other way around,” Arroyo said.
“There is always [discord in any administration]. You can’t take that away except that in this administration, the factionalism is deeper and [worse] than previous ones,” said Sen. Edgardo Angara, who was executive secretary during pardoned plunder convict Joseph Estrada’s short-lived tenure as president.
“From Aquino to Ramos to Erap to Gloria—I have seen [these administrations] close hand and I know how different factions fight each other. But this is the only administration where there are too many factions and competition is very fierce,” Angara said.
Even before he stepped into power last June 30, President Benigno Aquino III’s core team of supporters—assembled hastily for his surprise candidacy in the May 2010 elections—has always been filled with tension and conflict.
On one end are groups and individuals who frequent his campaign headquarters on Samar Avenue in Quezon City and on the other end are supporters and kibitzers who make the Balay headquarters of the Liberal Party at the Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City, their meeting place.
Angara said these groups have competed for Cabinet seats, government posts and budget allocations.
“Competition is good because it will inspire and motivate others to be at their best, but it can also be destructive because they can destroy each other. If the goal is to destroy each other, they will destroy their own boss and their own administration,” he said.
This factionalism has also led to what critics describe as the amateurish way the Aquino administration has been running government in its first three months, as the President has been forced not only to choose the best people to run the government but to maintain the balance of power between his warring allies.
Sen. Joker Arroyo, who was executive secretary in the administration of President Aquino’s late mother Corazon, described the current Aquino administration as no better than a “student council or student government” with a list of blunders and bloopers piling up as the days pass.
Arroyo said Malacañang has become a “hit or miss” administration where the President has been forced to use his political capital and own up to his people’s mistakes.
“His people think the President should cover for them because he’s like Teflon—no amount of criticism can stick to him. But this is totally wrong, the officials around the President are supposed to protect him, not the other way around,” Arroyo said.
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