Malacañang should not take too much offense on the statement of Manny Pacquiao’s trainor, American national Freddie Roach who said over television that his ward The Pacman is essentially more popular than President Pnoy. That quote was invariably just both hype and existential.

Instead, the Palace can focus its attention upon the people on the ground. Take the Mindanao observer interviewed almost a fortnight ago over ABC News Australia. The observer’s comments are instructive. On the question about how he sizes up the renewed hostilities in Mindanao today, the observer’s curt reply was: “President Aquino cannot solve the conflict”.

Just like the past presidents of the Republic before him he is inadequate. He said, that Aquino’s own mother, the late Pres. Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, who was much, more more popular and powerful as Head of State – coming just after a Revolution that toppled an autocrat, thought that she could bind the nation together by holding out open arms to Nur Misuari and Jose Maria Sison, making friends with rebels left and right and forgetting about and neglecting the armed forces, the members of the entire gamut of the security apparatus, who were fighting for the country with blood, sweat and tears.

Her national security adviser was asked to draft written orders to slash and burn about seventy percent of the budget for all military and security, intelligence forces. The act of cutting the fund to our armed services was actually done, when it was finally legal for the late lady president to sign the draft orders.

Subsequently, the late Mrs. Aquino failed in the quest to consolidate her hold on the country. She could not unify the nation neither heal the wounds that kept opening up one after the other, making it ripe on the part of the uniformed services for armed adventurism to smolder.

Now listen to what follows in the observer’s statement:  The true power in Mindanao is wielded by the agglomeration of fiefdoms – economic, political and those who flaunt power through the barrel of the gun.

These are the power vortices, he said that prevent the resolution of the conflict because for as long as the turmoil exists, these power centers exercise control over the resources of the island. These are much, much more powerful than the elected head of state and of course, the government of this Republic.

This revelation is not new. Douglas McArthur’s father (Arthur), a brigadier general assigned to Mindanao in the early 20th century, may have realized the nascent rise of the phenomenon called guerilla warfare. The .45-caliber Colt pistol was invented to stop suicidal amucks dead on their tracks. But guerilla warfare morphed into the fourth generation warfare, terrorism, now a global problem.

Going back to Pres. Pnoy’s dilemma, the Philippine Chief Executive should perhaps be more serious and down-to-earth in his pursuit of peace.

On the other hand, his idealism and the brave advocacy of good governance, that is taking much of the government’s time, talent and resources is slowly evaporating in the midst of the corrosive effects of corruption surrounding his government.

Go to any national agency and you will not find a worker who will tell you that his bosses are spanking pure and clean. Every single one of them are out to make big bucks while in office and sometimes, their actions cannot be fully kept from public knowledge. So the smaller ones down the line will follow the same dynamics guiding his own superiors.

The franchise to illegally make money using one’s position in government ttrickles down to the grassroots. Try doing business in any municipality and you will see what I mean – you will have to go through the gauntlet of corrupt schemes and mechanics it is like passing through the eye of a needle.

If you are lucky enough to pass muster the various local government units, you will end up several tens of thousands or even many millions poorer. That is why foreigners literally abandoned the Philippines as their investment haven because of WHOLESALE corruption. Unbridled, unstoppable, coming from the top down to the bottom.

Have you been to the premier district in the country lately?  In Ermita, Manila? The police precinct just in front of the United States Embassy Chancery is manned by policemen wearing sando and beach sandals. Visit their precinct quarters and you will see fifty fighting cocks kept in a gallinera. And listen to their talk about the latest events that brought in dirty money. To think that, “What the Manila Police District does, the entire Philippine National Police follows.” It is such as shame.

Even in the country’s court of last resort, the Supreme Court, the cases are not argued in chambers but discussed in private places in five star hotels or wherever the talks could be kept the least harried and tense. If you try to follow up very keenly on a case with the Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court, they will refer you to an official who is traditionally authorized to take the reasons for the court to favor your case. Guess who that official is?

These are challenges facing our beloved President. The question hangs above our heads, will the guy not really be up to it or can he still be able to hack it? We hope and pray for the latter.