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Monday, May 24, 2004
Arroyo aide: Opposition spreading 'lies'
MANILA -- President Arroyo's administration tagged the opposition Sunday as the "enemies of democracy" for allegedly spreading "vicious lies" about the administration through the short messaging system (SMS).
This, as Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) presidential candidate Fernando Poe promised, also on Sunday, to abide by the results of the May 10 elections, backing down from earlier statements that he had won the bitterly contested polls.
Arroyo's spokesman Ignacio Bunye said the "enemies of democracy are getting desperate. They are stepping up their vicious disinformation campaign. But they will not succeed."
He was referring to text messages that circulated Saturday night claiming that Stephen Bosworth of the US Embassy had instructed Arroyo to "step down from office of suffer consequences of a civil war."
The people, he said, know better and are already tired of "the antics of these rabble rousers."
While Poe, the country's most popular movie star, has not conceded to Arroyo, he called on his followers to remain calm. He also appealed to Congress to oversee the counting of the votes fairly.
In a statement, Poe said: "I reiterate my complete faith in democracy. I believe that the true will of the people is the voice of God. I bind myself to fully abide by the will of our people."
Poe had toured Mindanao this week, telling his supporters that he had won the election and accusing Arroyo of cheating him of victory.
The results of the May 10 poll are not expected for days due to the slow manual counting of the votes from across the archipelago.
An exit poll and preliminary "quick-counts" have found that Arroyo is the likely winner of a new six-year term, beating her chief rival.
Nevertheless, text messages circulating Saturday night said Bosworth, dean of the Fletcher School of Tufts University in Massachusetts, reportedly advised Arroyo during a meeting in Malacañang last May 18 to step down or face civil war.
He also allegedly handed over to Arroyo a 21-page report entitled "Challenges for a Post-Election Philippines: Issues for US Policy" prepared by the New York-based Council of Foreign Relations Center for Preventive Action.
The report, which emphasized that it was not telling the Philippines what to do, claimed the country's recent economic gains would be lost if it does not complete its electoral process in an expeditious and credible manner.
It also talked about the importance of political stability in the post-election period to draw foreign investment as it also warned that the next six years would be "divisive" for the government.
The report also talked about the biggest problems of the country, which include a "daunting budget deficit," "profound discrepancies in income and economic development," an "endemic graft" and a "minority population that has never been fully integrated into broader society and economy."
Bunye announced that Bosworth, representing a group of former ambassadors to the Philippines and American businessmen who are interested in the development of the country, came for a visit to discuss business.
He also said the meeting touched the recent elections but it was mostly "business."
Bunye Sunday denied that Bosworth advised Arroyo to step down, adding that even former Philippine ambassador and concurrent presidential consultant on international competitiveness Roberto Romulo was surprised when he learned of the "vicious text messages."
"No one has to tell Filipinos what our problems are and what to do about these. The elections proved our faith in democracy and we will use democracy to resolve the challenges facing us. We will have greater political and economic stability after the electoral process is over," said Bunye.
"We will forge peace in Mindanao, fight corruption and steadily build investment confidence. You can bet your last peso on the capability of the President to unite the country and fight for change," he added.
Asked why Malacañang think it is the opposition who is the source of the text messages, Bunye said "it appears very evident."
Bunye said the US Embassy would be issuing its own denial about the text messages.
He also dismissed claims of KNP senatorial candidate Francisco Tatad that Arroyo is creating an atmosphere of Martial Law.
"He has been making a lot of irresponsible statements lately," Bunye said.
Michael Defensor, presidential campaign spokesman, said he would be cutting short his "family vacation" in the US to help the administration address some of the "developments" in the political scene.
Defensor left for San Francisco with his family on Friday and is expected back in Manila by Tuesday. He said his vacation which was approved "two three weeks ago" was supposed to be for "a week and several days."
He denied that he left to escape the "political heat" but simply thought that the canvassing would go on "smoothly" like previous Congressional canvassing, which only took days before the presidential and vice presidential winners were declared. JMR/(With AFP)
(May 24, 2004 issue)
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