Dinky's relationship with GMA

Corazon ‘Dinky’ Soliman was a civic group leader when Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo appointed her as the secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) during the latter’s first term in the presidency.

She agreed, thinking ‘she could contribute to putting in place reforms.’ She was right: she was able to launch KALAHI-CIDSS in no time as well as the Early Childhood Development program. She also installed performance management systems, and set standards for DSWD institutions, among others.

Dinky eventually became the “president's messenger of bad news,” “Malacanang's conduit to civil society,” “GMA's troubleshooter” and “GMA’s travel companion.” She had restrained members of urban poor communities to attend rallies, and assisted in ‘commercial transactions’ where these people would be paid.

Dinky believed that leaders must sacrifice. They must ‘give up a significant amount of power and prestige… tighten their belts… and raise tax collection’. Unfortunately, this kind of sacrifice calls for the working class as well. Unfortunately too, she became one when Noli de Castro won the vice-presidency. She swore support for him nevertheless.

Her replacement did not surprise columnists. What got them thinking was Dinky’s reaction who should have known better. Most of them believed that Dinky was just assigned to the DSWD to repay a political debt to the civil society organizations that installed GMA to power.

Eventually, Dinky took part in a “class act” in the Hyatt Hotel in July 8 2005. She claimed losing her integrity during GMA’s term, and admitted ‘accommodating dirty politics and manipulating the poor’ during her post in the DSWD. The World Bank might have loaned her some fund to built 5000 villages and education programs for the poor, but that was in exchange for her silence on the presence of foreign military forces in the country. She also has to head the Operation Gentle Wind, which was aimed to educate those who do not agree with the importance of US troops in the country.

In her piece "Why I Resigned From Government, And Asked My Boss To Resign As Well" , Dinky narrated her story since she joined GMA’s Cabinet. I was not convinced though – and for libelous reasons. I simply do not trust her. Other than her, no one else could testify to her testimonies. Who's to say that she wouldn't do to Noynoy what she has done to a perceived ally when the going gets tough?

"Each year she stays in power, she brings the nation closer to extinction," Dinky has said in a press conference at De la Salle Manila campus last July 26, 2008

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