CLARK FIELD – Almost six years ago, eight Cabinet members and two key bureau chiefs, now known as the “Hyatt 10,” resigned en masse to protest the “Hello Garci” scandal that scarred the previous Arroyo administration.

However, the government continued to operate and the economy even managed to post modest growth in 2005 amid the condemnation of alleged corruption.

Now, spinmeisters would have us believe that the resignations of Transportation Secretary Jose “Ping” de Jesus and three of his undersecretaries was a “big blow” to the Aquino administration. Hindi naman siguro.

With due respect to the three officials, no one is indispensable. Fortunately, they have clarified that they were brought in by De Jesus and were quitting so as to give his replacement a chance to form his own team.

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WHY PING QUIT: The situation is not helped any by speculations that De Jesus quit because of lack of Palace support. But the Secretary himself explained that he simply wanted some peace and quiet after spending a third of his life in public service.

He also recalled that he joined the Cabinet with the understanding that he would serve only for one year.

Even assuming he had differences with the President, De Jesus has the background and the backbone to handle them. A former member of the Cory Aquino Cabinet, he stressed that his relations with Noynoy and the rest of the Aquino family remained strong.

As for his three undersecretaries, the fact that two of them, Ruben Reinoso and Dante Velasco, will remain in the government has been played down.

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ECONOMIC PLANS: Also played down was the release last Friday of the Aquino administration’s economic plan.

The National Economic and Development Authority spoke of a Gross Domestic Product target growth of 7-8 percent and an average one million net employment increment per year until 2016, powered by massive investments in infrastructure.

The building program will see the setting up of an “integrated and multi-modal national transport and logistics system,” including the extension of the Light Rail Transit from the Santolan station to the Masinag market along the Marcos Highway in Antipolo.

Another important project is the road linking the South Luzon Expressway to the North Luzon Expressway, to be funded through a loan from the Chinese government.

These are only two of the 50 big-ticket projects to be funded through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program, one of President Aquino’s campaign promises and a centerpiece of his economic master plan.

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DIVORCE: Our bishop, parish priest and the Marian devotees whose prayers soar higher than the combined signals of Smart, Globe and Sun need not worry too much about the proposed legalization of divorce.

I dare say that a divorce bill will not gain enough votes in the Congress at this time, assuming the measure will even move to third reading and be put to a vote.

Our macho lawmakers will not dare vote for divorce while their wives are watching, and most of the lady solons will be civil enough to hide their true inclinations. No one, except the most politically reckless, will dare disturb the peace.

Surveys claim that about half of our dominantly (85 percent?) Catholic population favors legalizing divorce, but congressmen have never been known to vote according to the wishes of their constituents.

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FOLLOW MALTA?: So what do we do? Nothing.

Even President Aquino, an ardent supporter of the contentious Reproductive Health bill, has shrugged off the divorce idea – apparently to avoid escalating his word war with the bishops.

I have changed my barber, btw, and my new one, he with the Famfango haccent, proposes that instead of a till-death-do-us-fart marriage contract, we should try a short-term covenant — like maybe for a 20-year partnership — with an option for periodic extensions subject to good behavior and mutual consent. How does that variation strike you?

Meanwhile, divorce advocates point out that after Malta, 94 percent Catholic, approved divorce with a 53 percent vote in a referendum last May 28, in the entire world only the Philippines and the Vatican are left with no divorce law. So what if Malta did?

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SHARIAH VERSION: But Adel Tamano – one of the better senators we never had – pointed out that it is not accurate to say we have no divorce in the Philippines. Divorce is allowed, it is legal, under the Shariah law among Muslims who comprise around five percent of the population.

In Twitter, lawyer Tamano said: “It is incorrect to say that the Philippines has no divorce law. The Code of Muslim Personal Laws specifically recognizes Islamic divorce.”

This special law, discriminatory to non-Muslims, permits qualified men to maintain many wives (as many as four) and later divorce those they have ceased to love/like/tolerate.

No wonder some prominent politicians, movie stars and other VIPs “convert” to Islam and take advantage of what looks like legalized polygamy.

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ESTRELLA RITES: The memorial service for the late Conrado “Condring” F. Estrella Sr., who died Tuesday at age 93, will be at 5 p.m. tomorrow at the Christ the King church in Quezon City.

In his early 20s, Condring formed a civic-oriented group in his hometown of Rosales, Pangasinan. This group of young people raised money to buy a lot to become the site of the first high school ever established in that area. That project helped catapult him to become mayor.

Years later, he was discovered by then President Magsaysay, leading to his meteoric rise in public service. He became Pangasinan governor for nine years and later joined the Marcos Cabinet as agrarian reform secretary.

His dedicated service to farmers and rural folk and his trust in God became Estrella’s formula for the success of a very challenging land reform program. He produced two sons and two grandsons who served and are still serving in the House of Representatives. In retirement, Condring was active in the Philippine Constitution Association.