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Monday, July 11, 2005
Bishops ask Arroyo: Search your heart
MANILA -- In a weekend made tense by talk of an end game and calls for her resignation, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo finally got a break from the bishops.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) bishops expressed regret Sunday that a political crisis has polarized the country, but stopped just short of calling for President Arroyo to resign, saying she must search her heart for the best solution.
"We do not demand her resignation," the CBCP said in a statement drafted during a weekend retreat. "Yet, neither do we encourage her to simply dismiss such a call from others."
The long-awaited statement may ease the pressure on Arroyo, who looked increasingly isolated after 10 Cabinet members quit Friday and urged her to step down. Arroyo challenged the opposition to file an impeachment case, instead of trying to force her to quit.
The President, whom aides said was humbled by the statement, thanked the "beloved bishops" for their remarks.
Bickering
In a televised statement, she vowed to "work with the church, members of civil society and all others to help build a better quality of life for the people...and to put an end to the political bickering that is causing such harm to our nation."
She pledged "to do everything within my power to earn your enduring trust and support."
Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal said the prospects of Arroyo resigning scared him, because of a possible leadership vacuum.
Iloilo Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, incoming president of the bishops' conference, said Arroyo should "prove that she is really sorry for what she has done to restore her credibility, to restore the integrity of the government and reform the different institutions of our government."
Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo said despite the bishops' position, he expects anti-Arroyo protests to continue.
"It's a dampening factor in the sense that the religious sectors allied to the CBCP may become reluctant to join popular actions but we still expect militant sections of the religious sector to go to the streets."
Won't stop
House Minority Leader Francis Escudero said the opposition respects the bishops' views, but doesn't agree with them completely.
"We will continue on with our peaceful call for the president to step down," he told ABS-CBN television.
Arroyo is under fire over wiretapped conversations released by the opposition last month, in which a woman sounding like her can be heard appearing to conspire with election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano to fix the result of the 2004 presidential vote.
She has publicly apologized for impropriety in phoning an independent election commissioner during the count, but denied trying to cheat.
The bishops called for "a thorough, credible and independent process to examine the authenticity of the so-called Garcillano tapes."
The Rebolusyonaryong Alyansang Makabayan, a military group blamed for past coup attempts, called on Arroyo to step down, saying allegations that she rigged the election have sparked a crisis that threatens to erupt into violence.
No endorsement
The group was the latest to join the resignation calls led by Arroyo's Cabinet defectors and former president Corazon Aquino, an Arroyo ally.
As the influential Catholic leaders debated what position to take, Arroyo went on a new charm offensive, praying in church, strolling along a Manila Bay promenade, holding babies and chatting with fishermen during a rare public appearance.
The carefully worded bishops' statement-titled "Restoring Trust: A plea for moral values in Philippine politics"-was far from an endorsement of Arroyo, calling for greater accountability and saying her role in an election scandal had undercut the public's trust.
Underscoring the sensitivity and complexity of the issue, the bishops said there was no clear solution and Arroyo must decide if the damage from the crisis is fatal to her leadership. However, they said her resignation would not end the political divisions that it has laid bare.
"We ask the President to discern deeply to what extent she might have contributed to the erosion of effective governance and whether the erosion is so severe that it's irreversible," the bishops' statement said. "She has to make the necessary decision for the sake of the country."
Gospel values
The bishops shunned violence or a forced change of leadership, called for establishment of an independent "truth commission" to probe allegations that Arroyo rigged last year's election, and suggested she could face impeachment proceedings.
"We recognize that nonviolent appeals for her resignation, the demand for a truth commission and the filing of an impeachment case are not against the Gospel," the statement said.
"Hence, we also appeal to the people, especially their representatives and leaders, to discern their decisions not in terms of political loyalties but in the light of the Gospel values of truth, justice and the common good."
Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz, one of about 10 bishops who have urged Arroyo to step down, earlier said the bishops were looking for deeper solutions to the nation's problems.
"We are looking at institutions," he told The Associated Press. "Resignation will not really solve the problem. There are many things to consider."
The bishops played a key role in the 1986 "people power" revolution that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos and the 2001 repeat that forced out Arroyo's predecessor, Joseph Estrada.
The House of Representatives is due to take up the impeachment complaint on July 25, a process that Arroyo says she would welcome to clear her name. She is also scheduled to deliver her State of the Nation Address on that day. (Sun.Star Cebu/AP)
(July 11, 2005 issue)
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Cory Aquino insists Arroyo should quit