MANILA: The Philippines’ poor majority are still unhappy, convinced that all government officials are corrupt and eager to see the end of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

But the disaffection isn’t translating into political activism — at least, not on the scale that generated ‘people power’ revolts responsible for ousting two presidents in the past 21 years — as shown by Thursday’s failed attempt by military dissidents to create a flashpoint for people to flood the streets against Arroyo.

Instead, they only looked foolish and egotistical when the protests they hoped to generate with their takeover of a five-star hotel fizzled out.

Considering that the same men tried the same stunt four years earlier at a different hotel — they walked out of their trial for that incident to carry out Thursday’s events — Philippine Star columnist Ana Marie Pamintuan said they “remind you of cats, which seem to go out of their way to get run over by vehicles.”

“These men keep jumping into the headlights, testing how many lives they have left,” she wrote.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer said in an editorial that Thursday’s action “had failure written all over it.” Added the Manila Standard: “When will messianic people ... realise that nobody put them in charge?”

It was the latest — and most bizarre — attempt to oust Arroyo, the daughter of a president who has never managed to cultivate any camaraderie in the slums and shantytowns that make up much of Manila’s massive urban sprawl.

Her approval ratings in opinion polls are at record lows, thanks to a string of corruption scandals and lingering allegations that she rigged the 2004 election.

While a third impeachment complaint against Arroyo was crushed this week by her dominant majority in the House of Representatives, there is a sense that she is just papering over her critics, not responding to the allegations they have raised.

Those would seem to be the ingredients for a popular revolt in a country where the military and populace have taken power into their own hands before and coup attempts are only separated by constant coup rumours.

Political analysts have been wondering if ‘people power’ has outlived its usefulness, with the constant threat that any crisis could generate a critical mass of people in the streets.

At the very least, there was some relief, in a country where the military has frequently delved into politics and adventurism, the number involved in Thursday’s hotel takeover was pitifully small, about 30.

“There is a clear lesson here, that a purely military-led action will not bring about change,” said Rasti Delizo, spokesman for the leftist group Sanlakas. “People power is the only force that can force change to happen.”

As many quickly pointed out, the issues that the dissident officers raised — particularly corruption — carry resonance around the country. But people also seem to have become increasingly cynical that any new government will make things better, and fear any military-installed government after years of martial law rule under former dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

“No matter how rotten the civilian administration, there’s no way Filipinos are going to install a military junta,” said the Star’s Pamintuan.

One thing seems clear: Even if Arroyo can manage to finish out her term in 2010, she will continue to be dogged the rest of the way by scandal and attempts to oust her, one way or the other, because most people feel she has skated through the allegations without truly addressing them.

So far, the political instability has not had much effect on the country’s economic expansion, with growth at its highest levels in 20 years.—AP