Seated in the mahogany-paneled state dining room at Malacanang Palace, members of President Corazon Aquino's Cabinet stared at the blank sheets of paper that had been placed before them. "Of course, you all know what this meeting is about," said the President. Most did not, though they may have had a sense of deja vu once she began explaining. Aquino reminded them that ten months earlier she had asked the Cabinet to resign in the turmoil following an + alleged coup plot. Now, in the wake of the most serious coup attempt yet, it was time for another reshuffle. Complying with her request, each member scribbled, "I hereby tender my resignation." Defense Secretary Rafael Ileto, arriving late for the meeting, was asked by reporters outside if he would quit with the rest of the Cabinet. Said Ileto: "Well, if that's the fad, why not?"
Political turmoil is becoming a regular fact of life for Aquino. In the past six weeks, a Cabinet Secretary was assassinated, a general strike paralyzed major cities, and the bloody military uprising late last month came closer to unseating her than four previous attempts. Since that failed revolt, Aquino's leadership has come under severe question. Some 2,000 rebel soldiers remained at large, and bickering was mounting among her political supporters. Last week's mass resignation may have bought Aquino time to reorganize her government and recapture the sense of high expectation that marked her early months on the job. But allies and opponents alike wondered whether she would move decisively enough to capitalize on the opportunity. Said Blas Ople, a member of the opposition who was a Labor Minister under Ferdinand Marcos: "This is a government that lives hand to mouth, politically and intellectually."
Aquino may reinstate most of her Cabinet ministers, but one case will be a problem: Executive Secretary Joker Arroyo. When she asked the Cabinet to resign last November, the move was designed largely to oust a rival, Juan Ponce Enrile, who was then Defense Minister. This time the likely target is a faithful friend of more than 15 years. Arroyo, 61, whose first name derives from his father's fondness for card playing, is easily the most powerful member of the Cabinet. The former human rights lawyer screens Aquino's official papers and correspondence as well as all requests to meet her.
Critics charge that Arroyo has been too protective of the President, blocking access to her, suppressing documents he does not want her to see, and generally insulating her from political and economic realities. His public criticism of the military has alienated the country's top officers, among them such staunch Aquino loyalists as Armed Forces Chief Fidel Ramos. Almost every attempted coup in the past 18 months, including the most recent one, has demanded the ouster of Arroyo as well as that of another outspoken Aquino adviser, Speechwriter Teodoro Locsin. Many military men allege that Arroyo is a Communist, a charge he denies but that they feel is supported by his endorsement of amnesty for guerrillas of the Communist-led New People's Army.