MANILA, Philippines?The moral bankruptcy of the Arroyo administration is an inerasable blemish on our history that even challenges the mega-corruption of the Marcos dictatorship. One can even say it is worse than that accursed regime that was, after all, arrogantly but frankly exercised through the barrel of the gun.

The Arroyo administration is imitating and even outdoing the outrages committed by that dictatorship, and it is hypocritically doing this in the name of democracy. Its minions regard their idol as a resurrected Joan of Arc in our tainted Republic, but that is clearly a heretical comparison.

The notoriety of the Arroyo administration confirms the verdict of a foreign survey condemning the Philippines as among the most corrupt countries in Asia. We are near the top of its disgraceful list, but our supposed President is crowing an undeserved ovation to herself. Her flunkies are canonizing her as the champion of truth and justice, but they err in believing that the public is deceived.

Every day there are paeans of praise for GMA in paid advertisements in newspapers, including the Inquirer, from her breathless supporters extolling her leadership in propelling our country to progress and prosperity. Yet we are shamefully lagging behind our more vigorous neighbors like Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and other countries we had outpaced before.

And there are also silly demonstrations of her sham popularity: generals walking arm-in-arm like boy cadets for their corps sponsor; housewives celebrating the stand of the bishops against the venial sins of Malacañang; hakot crowds shuttling stiffly to the compulsory beat of her paid barkers; and absent and even dead alumnae shouting hollow praises for an unappreciated and in fact despised classmate.

Where do the payments for these expensive advertisements and demonstrations come from? From her political fans like the ingratiating officials of little municipalities and obscure barangays? From the humble signatories of unknown civic groups eager to assure Ms Arroyo of their compensated support? From the contributions of the little people who cannot even afford the cost of a decent meal?

I doubt it. A better guess is that the subsidy for these propaganda?for that is what they are? comes from the inexhaustible pork barrel, discretionary allowances not subject to accounting, and?no less believably?the generosity of ?the Greedy People ++? with their dollar ?commissions? from illicit government transactions.

Among these is the opprobrious ZTE contract that GMA rushed to China to witness its signing although, as she confessed later, she was already aware at that time of its anomalies. Other sub rosa deals are now being questioned on suspicion that they have also been corrupted by what are now euphemistically called ?brokerage fees.?

These irregularities are easy to believe in light of the unreliability of President Arroyo?s assurances and denials. She promised before that she would not run in the 2004 presidential election but did?and falsified the election returns as exposed by the Garci tapes. She issued EO 464 to prevent the Senate from examining other executive irregularities too many and too scandalized for her to conceal.

Even if she later revoked that order the Supreme Court had earlier already disauthorized, the Senate remains impotent for another reason?the susceptibility of witnesses. Persons with knowledge incriminating administration conspirators may be easily persuaded to suppress it?with gold or guns.

Rodolfo Lozada says he was offered various gifts for not revealing horrible secrets in high places?P50,000 first, P500,000 next, and as much as P10 million recently. He was not like that ?surprise? witness whose amnesia probably made him immensely richer. And then, of course, let us not forget how Lozada was clumsily abducted by ?our own men? with friendly murder aforethought.

The administration can outsmart the opposition any time because of its abundance of power and money it can muster, validly or not, upon orders of President Arroyo. The opposition has powerful ammunition too but it cannot use it effectively for lack of a decisive superior to unite its ranks. Everyone is a leader, but not the leader, and no one is a follower. Can an army win a war if everyone is a general with no soldiers to command?

The root cause, I think, is the multi-party system. We are now governed by a tractable ?rainbow coalition? composed of small political groups with indistinct identities under petty politicians not qualified for national responsibilities. Under the old system, only two dominant parties, each under a recognized head, vied for the people?s majority vote on clear and categorical choices. And we had distinguished statesmen like Quezon, Osmeña, Roxas, and Laurel, whose leadership under the two-party system was acknowledged and respected. We have no such leaders now.

In the Senate at present, Manuel Villar, Manuel Roxas II, Loren Legarda, Panfilo Lacson, Aquilino Pimentel, possibly also Francis Escudero and maybe even Jinggoy Estrada, are aiming to be President in 2010. They will be obstructing each other as they hobble to Malacañang, leaving Lito Lapid to lead the charge of the New Opposition on his lame donkey.