President Arroyo cannot increase gasoline prices, enforce austerity measures, impose new taxes, and rally the people behind her 10-point legacy program if the following are taking place:

1. A ranking general of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), through his wife, admits to having regularly skimmed money from government contracts and having amassed wealth grossly disproportionate to his income as general and nothing much happens to him. The admission is made in a public document submitted to a US government agency. Maj. Gen. Carlos F. Garcia's job makes him probably the fourth highest AFP official. In other words, he is the big fish we have been looking for.