The good teacher, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

Let me go back in the local Philippine scene. Last Friday Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was seen again in her first press conference since leaving Malacanang By her mood and temper I could feel her speaking not as former president of the Philippines but like the good teacher that she is, concerned that what she was expecting from her students did not qualify them for high grades. Yet the media is at it again using words like "lambasting the Aquino Administration" or scolding President Aqquino her former student at the Ateneo University. For the ordinary but enlightened readers and listeners, media's choice of words is still the past practice of yellow jounalism and sensationalism. Such words with shock value to attract the attention of the faultless and innocent readers and liteners. It is still fresh in our memory that this practices had tremendously cucceeded in putting down the past administration demonizing its leaders at the same time shouting praises for prospective new groups, calling then helpless leaders as bunch of thieves and corrupt opportunists. No wonder all administrations are scared when they see media reporters. Thus the present administration hired and still hiring hords of media men into the fold with the hope of minimizing hit shocks.

Let me go back to GMA. Her reminders that there are danger signs ahead, that the new administration's first year gains may not be sustainable because of the pesident's kind of leadership, the newly-coined words"nobody home" kind of leadership. As to whoever introduced this new phrase rest assured he or she must be a media personnel. Let me not mention the other relevant reminders of GMA in her press conference, that I may be mistaken as among GMA fans But anyway lest I might forget, GMA is a strong leader and more than a good teacher. The best thing she did as a teacher was, she did not teach her students to become like her nor imitate her, but guided them to learn by theselves independently.