Surviving 2006: The year’s top stories

BY JUANIYO ARCELLANA/The Philippine Star

The year just past was one of serial catastrophes and a rebounding economy, yet another failed coup and another junked impeachment, a nursing exam scandal, a major oil spill and some sporting triumphs from the boxing ring to the billiard hall to the Asian Games in Doha. A list of the year’s top stories, not necessarily in order of appearance or gravity, follows:

•The failed coup, 20th Edsa anniversary version

On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the first people power revolt in February, some restless men in the military were said to have tried to break away from the chain of command and unseat President Arroyo.

A state of emergency was declared, an opposition newspaper’s office was raided, a handful of party-list congressmen holed out in Congress, and the constitutionality issue of Proclamation 1017 reached all the way to the Supreme Court.

The officers involved in the failed coup, the first since July 2003, now face court-martial, while another perpetual alleged coup plotter former senator Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan was caught later in the year.

• The nursing exam scandal

One weekend in June, some questions in tests III and V of the nursing licensure exam were already known before prospective nurses trooped to test centers to take the exams.

The scandal would shake the local nursing profession and cast a shade of doubt on the competence of the latest batch of nurses, a major setback to one of the country’s more viable manpower exports.

The order for a retake was further muddled up by a recomputation of scores, which deemed former passers as having failed, and vice versa, a mix-up worse than any x-rated scandal.

• Smith guilty in Subic rape case, VFA put to test in custody tug-of-war

Lance Corporal Daniel Smith of the US Marines was convicted of rape in December, putting to test the seven-year-old Visiting Forces Agreement that spells the guidelines for troops of both countries in RP-US military exercises. After a diplomatic furor and the US’ cancellation of its military exercises with the Philippines set for February, Smith was transferred the other night from the Makati City jail to the US Embassy.

The rape victim known only as "Nicole" laments the transfer, saying, "Why can’t my country defend and protect me?"

• The four typhoons in the last quarter — "Milenyo," "Paeng," "Reming" and "Seniang"

The country seemed chased by the furies in the last four months of the year, with Milenyo wreaking havoc in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, Paeng doing damage in Central Luzon, Reming unleashing apocalyptic mudflow in Bicol, and Seniang lashing the Visayas leading to the cancellation of the ASEAN summit in Cebu.

• Supreme Court asserts independence, junks people’s initiative, rules parts of EO 464 unconstitutional

Far from being a rubber stamp despite a majority of members appointed by the President, the Supreme Court more than proved its independence by issuing decisions not exactly favorable to the administration.

It ruled that parts of EO 464 – which invoked executive privilege whenever Congress wanted to give officials the third degree "in aid of legislation," were unconstitutional. Then the Charter change (Cha-cha) train all but fell off the tracks when the court ruled that the people’s initiative was not sufficient to rewrite the Constitution.

• Economic rebound, peso best performing currency in region

Local survey stations’ polls on hunger may not entirely jibe with reports 2006 was a banner year for the economy, with the peso reaching its highest level in six years to well breach the 50 to the dollar psychological barrier.

The peso was the strongest performing currency in the region, and the influx of BPO centers such as Sutherland Global was a worthy indicator the economy was not as bad as it seemed, contrary to the grumbling stomachs of survey respondents. The stock market also ended the year with a bang, climbing to its highest level in nearly 10 years.

• Sporting triumphs, Alcano and Pacquiao, plus a handful of golds in the Asiad

The performance of the RP contingent in the Doha Asian Games was the best in 34 years, another bright spot in a year pockmarked by disaster both mitigated and unmitigated. The golds came in the contact sports and parlor games, but that didn’t make the triumphs any less stirring.

As if to preclude our golds in boxing and billiards in the Asiad, Ronato Alcano won the world pool championship in his home country while Manny Pacquiao finally took the measure of Mexican Erik Morales in Las Vegas to cap their bloody trilogy.

• More disasters galore, from Guinsaugon to Guimaras

In February in a small town in Leyte, a hillside gave way after days of rain, burying an entire village and leaving an untold number dead and homeless. In August, an oil spill in Guimaras put in peril the ecological balance in the area, as sea life and coral were washed in petroleum leaking from a sunken barge.

Also in February was the infamous Wowowee stampede that trampled 73 people to death, mostly elderly women lining up to try their luck in the show’s anniversary at the Ultra stadium in Pasig. President Arroyo immediately ordered a probe and network executives were charged.

• Second impeachment case against Arroyo defeated, but then so is con-ass

In another overwhelming vote, the administration-dominated House defeated the second impeachment complaint against President Arroyo, making next year’s midterm elections crucial if a possible third impeachment bid is to be shot down.

And as the Arroyo allies rallied their forces to push for a constituent assembly to amend the Constitution even without the Senate – as well a parallel effort at a people’s initiative – the Supreme Court, Church leaders and civil society promptly put an end to all the instant Cha-cha dreams.

• Extrajudicial killings

Not since the early years of the Aquino administration have the vigilantes been this active, with motorcycle-riding gunmen targeting hard-hitting media personalities and left-leaning politicians. The rising body count would raise concern among Amnesty International and European Union countries about the state of human rights in the Philippines, forcing the President to set a deadline for the solution of the vigilante murders weeks after she had declared all-out war against the New People’s Army.