Sunday, September 28, 2008 Arroyo is worse than Marcos: political detainee
NATIONAL Artist for Literature, activist and Martial Law detainee Bienvenido Lumbera said the present administration is worse than the dictatorial regime of Ferdinand Marcos.
"What is bad is that Ms (Gloria Macapagal) Arroyo has the cover-up of legality for what she is doing. The military is at her command and is doing its worst to suppress desistance," Lumbera said in a press conference held Saturday.
"The Arroyo administration has many resources at its command, just like Marcos in his time. But the superiority of resources does not make the difference. It is the susceptibility of the congressmen and her blandishment of power to them. Mahusay humanap ng butas sa karakter ng mga congressmen," Lumbera added.
According to Lumbera, the President's real power is her way of "buying" the loyalty and support of Congress members and local government officials, thus making it difficult to oust her unlike Marcos and Joseph Estrada.
"The likehood of getting rid of her and her supporters would only come in 2010. At present, mahirap talaga," Lumbera said.
Lumbera was in town to speak at the "Revisiting Martial Law" forum initiated by the Initiative for Peace in Mindanao, College Editors Guild of the Philippines, First Quarter Storm Movement and Sister's Association in Mindanao. (GLP)
