Yes JB Baylon, Arroyo has wielded that power before

From JB Baylon's "The Mouse roars" article in Malaya:

The President of the Philippines yesterday condemned the missile testing by North Korea.

I am not exactly sure what else our president said beyond aping the remarks of US President George W. Bush, but effectively telling North Korea to behave are tough words from a Philippine president.

I wonder what we will say should North Korea decide to lob one missile or two our way in response.

No other country in our part of the world, with the exception of Japan and South Korea for obvious reasons, have said anything or at least said anything publicly about, and against, North Korea’s actions. Maybe it is because they do not feel as threatened by North Korea as we do? Or maybe because they do not seek to win as many brownie points with George Bush as we do?

Or yet maybe still because their leaders do not need to make sure they have the support of George W. Bush as ours does, lest a coup attempt be seen by the US as an “internal matter” – and out goes the president.

Which is why I see the statement from Malacañang as directed more towards the White House than towards Pyongyang.

While we’re at it, maybe GMA can also condemn Osama in the strongest possible terms. I suggest she ask Secretary Raul Gonzalez to make one of his trademark disparaging remarks to a group of newsmen about bin Laden, so the bearded man can quake in his boots.

Imagine – the Philippines side by side with the US threatening the scoundrels of the world with dire consequences because of their intransigence! We are truly evolving into a mini-world power. If the US has become the world’s policeman, we have become the “kabit” of the world’s policeman.

Then again maybe we have a right to consider ourselves a budding world power. Why not, given the fact that many of the world’s leaders have Filipinas as yayas to their kids. Can you imagine the power and the influence of that?

Add to that the fact that many of the world’s top businessmen also have Filipino househelp – from cooks to drivers to mayordomas.

If you think about it, the power the Philippines wields is growing, albeit in a quiet, backroom sort of way. And soon we can show our strength by calling for a world boycott, a global strike of all Filipino workers – which would cripple ships and hotels and households and all that. On that day GMA can truly make demands on all world leaders, and not just on bin Laden or Kim Jong Il.

The Arroyo admin has weilded that power before. Feeling cocky after "winning" her elections in 2004, she thought that her admin has no more need of the US as "big brother" protector dahil may "legitimacy" na siya. And since Iraq then was beginning to look like a lost cause (with violence spiralling out of control and no WMDs), Arroyo used the kidnapping of a Filipino truckdriver as an excuse to bail out of Iraq and pull out all the troops pre-maturely in mid 2004. (Who knew na kakailanganin niya ulit ang US support dahil sa legitimacy problems niya sa GLORIAGATE... haw haw...)

Nagalit ang US sa Arroyo admin at binawasan nila ang financial aid ng Pinas nung 2005. The Arroyo admin responded by playing the "China Card", then threatening to pull out all the remaining OFWs from Iraq, essentially crippling the US efforts to rebuild the post-Saddam Iraq.

U.S. TROUBLED OVER RP CALLS FOR PINOYS TO LEAVE IRAQ

MANILA, April 27, 2005 (STAR) By Pia Lee-Brago - The United States is troubled by the Philippine government’s attempts to persuade Filipino workers to leave Iraq.

US officials in Manila have repeatedly aired their concerns over the repatriation of Filipinos working in military bases in Iraq, Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo said Monday night.

But Romulo said he had told the US embassy officials that the priority of the Philippine government is the security of Filipino workers.

"We have to explain to them that our obligation is to our citizens," he said.

Romulo said the US cannot make the Philippines change its stand.

"We are a sovereign country, and we have to protect our citizens. That’s the law. That’s in the Constitution," he said.

The government has urged all Filipino workers in Iraq to avail of voluntary repatriation following the death of two Filipinos in two suspected militant attacks this month.

Records from the Department of Foreign Affairs showed that around 6,000 Filipinos still work in US military camps in Iraq.

Most of the workers provide non-military services as food servers and kitchen helpers to the troops.

Their withdrawal from Iraq is expected to have an adverse impact on the operation of the camps since Filipinos make up the largest number of foreign workers in the camps.

More here.

The appeals for the OFWs to return home have been repeated by Romulo in August 2005 after a Filipino engineer was killed in Kirkuk.

But now, kung mapapansin nyo, there are no more calls from the DFA for Filipinos in Iraq to go home. In fact, a US company is hiring Filipinos to provide security in Iraq. Seems like "bati" na ulit ang US at Arroyo admin.

But I don't think the Bush admin really trust Arroyo at this point, although they do find her useful to them--and they have bought the canard that she's "indispensable" and "irreplacable" because her alternative replacements are worse. Ergo, may tacit support ang US kay Mrs. Arroyo.

See what the GLORIAGATE crisis can do to change Arroyo's attidute towards the US? LOL.