Filipino Coup Unlikely.

Lately in the Filipines there has been talk of a coup against Gloria Arroyo Macpagal in the works.

Filipinos are losing confidence in their government and there are constant rumors of plots against GMA's government in the works.

Interior Secretary Angelo Reyes said anti-Arroyo forces led by retired general Fortunato Abat had failed to muster enough support during the May Day celebrations.


Abat over the weekend openly called for Arroyo's ouster and the installation of what he called a transition revolutionary government.

Source: The Peninsula - Philippines downgrades threat of coup attempt.

This is a big problem. Many outside the Filipines think the ouster of Marcos was a good thing (and include me among them) but many inside the Filipines do not (count Claudia in this group). The Filipines has been cursed with poor leaders with one exception from the ouster of Marcos. The poor leaders have been Aquino, Estrada, and now GMA. It is a combination of rank corruption and incompetence with all of those.

There has been one good president since the ouster and that was Fidel Villamor Ramos. He had good ideas and I recall he had placed quite an emphasis on rooting out corruption in government. Too bad he could not have stayed on longer.

All this talk of coup accomplishes only to scare international investment away from the Filipines.

July 21, 2009 -- The V in Fidel V Ramos is for Valdez, not Villamor as I write above.