‘The lady doth protest too much, methinks.’

That is a line from William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet that has become a common expression that implies that someone who denies something very strongly and repeatedly only puts into others’ minds that the opposite is true.

After her demotion from senior deputy speaker to deputy speaker on May 17, Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo released a long-winded statement denying that she plotted to oust Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez from the Speakership. She explained that while she aspired to be Speaker of the House of Representatives after Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. was elected president, she gave up the goal when she realized that Mr. Marcos was more comfortable with his first cousin, Mr. Romualdez, as Speaker.

She said she would never take any action that would destroy the UniTeam that she helped form. She also clarified that she did not have any conversation with any politician or lawmaker to plot, support, encourage, or participate in any way in any alleged House coup.

The other Sunday, May 28, Ms. Arroyo once again denied rumors that she was “duped” by a congresswoman into planning to oust Speaker Romualdez after being told the plan had the blessings of First Lady Liza Marcos. She said, “no House coup can ever succeed without the consent of the President,” stressing that she did not talk with any House member to “plot, support, encourage, or participate in any way” in such overthrow efforts. “I made a humble contribution to the joining of forces that became the UniTeam, and the resulting supermajority in the House is a major force for delivering our President’s agenda. Thus, I would never take any action to destroy it,” she added.

Ms. Arroyo doth protest too much, methinks.

She has put into my mind the opposite of what she vehemently denies. Also, she must have done something hateful to the powers that be in the House of Representatives for her to be demoted in rank unceremoniously. To a person with a superiority complex like her (the position of “senior deputy speaker” was created just for her because she was once president), the demotion to the level of nine other deputy speakers is a painful punishment.

She herself thinks the cause of her being suspected of plotting a coup was her special meeting with a delegation of congressmen outside the country. Yet, she does not explain what the meeting was about to allay suspicion of a sinister scheme on her part. Maybe she has difficulty weaving a plausible story other than the true one.

She says she no longer aspires to be Speaker of the House. I take that pronouncement with a grain of salt. So have veteran politicians and prominent civil society personalities it seems. That is because she has a reputation for going against her own avowals.

When she was installed as the new president on Jan. 20, 2001, the day after President Joseph Estrada was chased out of Malacañang, she said: “We must change the character of our politics in order to create fertile ground for true reforms. Our politics of personality and patronage must give way to a new politics of party programs and process of dialogue with the people.” Shortly after, she nominated her son, Mikey, who had no preparation nor inclination for public office (he wanted to be a movie actor), for vice-governor of Pampanga, and Ralph Recto and Francis Pangilinan for senators simply because they are the husbands respectively of showbiz celebrities Vilma Santos and Sharon Cuneta.

In December 2002, she announced in dramatic fashion that she would not run for president in the elections of 2004. On Rizal Day, Dec. 30, 2002, she declared:

“Today, we are honoring Jose Rizal. A century ago, he made the ultimate sacrifice for the Filipino people, giving up his life at Luneta. As we honor him today, it is fitting that I ask each Filipino to also make a sacrifice for our country. My reading of the political winds tells me that the 2004 elections may well go down in history as among the most bitterly contested elections ever. Consequently, we may end up stalling national growth for a few years more. In view of this, I have decided not to run for President during the elections of 2004.

“On the other hand, relieved of the burden of politics, I can devote the last year and a half of my administration to the following: first, strengthening the economy: to create more jobs and to encourage business activities that is (sic) unhampered by corruption and red tape in government; second, healing the deep division within our society; third, working for clean and honest elections in 2004.”

Various sectors of Philippine society sang praises to her for abandoning her quest for a mandate by the electorate in the presidential race in 2004. The usually critical press hailed her for her decision not to run in the presidential derby in 2004 to heal a deeply divided country. The Catholic hierarchy also applauded her for her “example of self-sacrifice.”

But she changed her mind.

On Oct. 4, 2003 she declared:

“I longed together with our people to savor the gains of unity by taking myself out of the political landscape. For a while our enemies halted and we moved forward. We proved to ourselves how much we can achieve when we defeat divisiveness. I have gained the experience necessary to understand what we need to do in order to change society in a way that leads to economic development and the elimination of poverty.

“Thus, I have deferred my retirement. I will sacrifice my yearnings for personal quiet and release from presidential strain and anxiety. And I will offer myself to the electorate in 2004. I will offer myself as the leader with the experience and vision necessary to change society, to achieve economic development, and eliminate poverty. Tatakbo ako sa pagka-pangulo sa eleksyon ng Mayo 2004 (I will run for president in the elections of May 2004).

“I am not motivated to run because I was thrust, shoved, urged or pressed. I see the need for a greater sacrifice and I will make it.”

To her, not running for president is a sacrifice. So is running for president. Either way she is a martyr.

I expect her to maneuver to be speaker again. She did it on July 23, 2018. While members of Congress were waiting for President Rodrigo Duterte to deliver his third State of the Nation Address, Representative Arroyo was directing a power play to get her elected speaker in place of Pantaleon Alvarez. She succeeded in spite of the fact that Mr. Alvarez was a fellow Davaeno and long-time friend of President Duterte.

But she has to settle scores first. She has been crossed not once but twice. It should be noted that on the two occasions she denied plotting to overthrow Speaker Romualdez, she made reference to her having contributed to the joining of the forces that became the UniTeam, and the resulting election of Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte as president and vice-president, respectively. I take her reference to her being the broker of the alliance of the two political forces as her way of saying she should be part of the triumvirate that lords over the present supermajority. But she was edged out by the first cousin of the President. That is offense No. 1.

As a consolation, she was given the ceremonial position of senior deputy speaker. But even that was taken away from her, unceremoniously at that. That is offense No. 2.

I wrote in my last column that Ms. Macapagal Arroyo will not take lightly the wrongs done to her. Woe unto those who had hurt her prodigious pride for they shall suffer considerably. Hell has no fury like Gloria Macapagal Arroyo wronged.

Let me close with another line from one of Shakespeare’s plays in The Merchant of Venice, Shylock asks rhetorically: “If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?”

Oscar P. Lagman, Jr. has been a keen observer of Philippine politics since the 1950s.