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Monday, July 04, 2005
Cebu allies: Congress unlikely to impeach Arroyo
CEBU CITY -- Cebuano members of the House of Representatives believe it will be impossible to impeach President Arroyo since the majority is allied with her.
Instead of impeaching the president, which has no basis in the first place, Filipinos should give her a chance after she asked for forgiveness, said Representative Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south district).
But Arroyo, he added, should overhaul her staff and make a major revamp of her Cabinet members to straighten out her administration.
Cuenco also said Arroyo should replace all Commission on Elections (Comelec) officials, place behind bars those sued for graft and corruption, and banish "non-performing assets" to convince the public that she is sincere in cleansing the government.
When asked how the crisis could be possibly resolved, Clavel Asas-Martinez (Cebu, 4th) answered, "It's her problem, not mine."
A telephone survey by the Social Weather Stations in Manila, with 526 respondents, showed only seven percent in favor of impeachment, while 18 percent said President Arroyo should resign. Twenty percent favored "closing this chapter," without saying exactly how this can be done.
Meanwhile, militant organizations rejected snap elections or the constitutional succession as solutions to the current political crisis.
In a joint statement, Akbayan and seven other different militant organizations said a "revolutionary transition government" composed of people from the civic organizations and business sector should replace the Arroyo administration.
But some Cebuano representatives prefer that Arroyo continue running the government so she can make changes in her administration.
Representative Antonio Yapha (Cebu, 3rd district) said Arroyo should fulfill all her promises and concentrate on her work for the good of the country.
He noted that the "exile" of First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and Arroyo's impending revamp of government officials identified with her husband indicate her willingness to correct some things.
Yapha said Arroyo's admission that she made some calls to a Comelec official when the controversial tapes on the wiretapped calls came out could be proof that she made a mistake.
But like him, Representatives Simeon Kintanar (Cebu, 2nd) and Martinez, when sought for reaction Sunday, refused to say if there is enough basis to impeach the president.
Cuenco said that talking to an election commissioner is not an impeachable offense, unlike the crime of plunder former President Joseph Estrada was accused of.
The current political instability, Cuenco said, could best be resolved by accepting the president's apology.
Even the opposition, he said, is not enthusiastic about calling for President Arroyo's impeachment, choosing instead the "easy way" by asking her to resign.
"If there was (any basis), ang opposition na unta ang nangusog. Ilang i-marshal ang ilang ebedensya. Pero wala may cause for action (The opposition should have taken the lead. They should have marshaled their evidence. But there was no cause for action)," he said.
Although she refused to comment whether there is enough basis to impeach Arroyo, Congresswoman Martinez admitted that since the President has more allies, it will be "hard" for it to succeed.
After the election results in Cebu were mentioned in the controversial tapes, Martinez said she regretted protecting Arroyo's votes here and supported the playing of the tapes in the congressional hearings.
Martinez's husband, Celestino III, lost in the gubernatorial race during the 2004 elections. The couple campaigned for President Arroyo last year.
Kintanar, for his part, said he will support processes that are in accordance with the Constitution.
"If there has to be changes, it should not be through a revolution," he explained.
Militant groups, though, want no less than Arroyo's resignation to pave way for a transition government.
The groups said the alleged election fraud and jueteng scandal are not the only issues that have eroded her credibility, but her failure to fulfill her promises to the Filipino people as well.
Alvin Dizon, secretary general of Akbayan, said he favors Senate President Franklin Drilon more than anyone, including Vice President Noli de Castro, to head the transition government.
"A systemic change can bring about genuine democracy," the joint statement said, as it pushed the setting of a revolutionary government to be composed of people from civil society and the business sector.
Other groups that signed the joint statement were Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, Bukluran sa Ikauunlad ng Sosyalistang Isip at Gawa, Center for Rural Development, Freedom from Debt Coalition, Kilusan Para sa Pambansang Demokrasya, Partido ng Manggagawa and Philippine Network of Rural Development Institutes. (CYR/RHM/AIV of Sun.Star Cebu/Sunnex)
(July 4, 2005 issue)
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