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Sunday, September 11, 2005
Survey: 64% say Arroyo should resign
MANILA -- Nearly 80 percent of Filipinos surveyed wanted President Gloria Macapgal-Arroyo impeached over vote-rigging allegations, and 51 percent said she should be ousted by a "people power" revolt if Congress failed to act, according to a poll released Saturday.
The Aug. 26-Sept. 5 survey by the respected pollster Social Weather Stations was done before the House of Representatives threw out all three impeachment charges against Arroyo last Tuesday, upholding a similar Aug. 31 decision.
The poll said 79 percent of 1,200 people questioned nationwide wanted Arroyo impeached, while 64 percent believed she should resign.
If Congress failed to impeach her, 51 percent said she should be removed by a new "people power" revolt, according to the survey, which had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.
The election fraud allegations against Arroyo centered on audio recordings of several telephone conversations, in which she purportedly discussed with a top election official ways to ensure a million-vote victory in last year's presidential ballot.
Amid pressures from many of her Cabinet members, Arroyo broke her silence and admitted she talked with an election official, and apologized for the "lapse in judgment."
However, she denied manipulating the vote's outcome.
The survey said a key factor in the strong anti-Arroyo sentiment was the belief of most Filipinos that her call to the election official "amounted to instructing him to cheat in the 2004 elections, and was not meant to protect her votes as she claimed in her June 27 apology."
The Social Weather Stations also said Arroyo's approval rating had improved a bit since May, when it plummeted to a record low among the last four presidents.
However, it has remained low amid the political crisis, rising prices and an impending increase in value-added taxes.
Regret
Meanwhile, 22 legislators were unhappy with their decision to vote for the dismissal of the impeachment complaints against President Arroyo, Minority Representative Alan Peter Cayetano of Taguig-Pateros said Saturday.
Cayetano said they in the pro- impeachment bloc have been assured of support from other anti-impeachment congressmen once they reopen discussions on the case on Sept. 19.
The minority group will reportedly file a motion for reconsideration of the decision to dismiss the three impeachment cases against Arroyo.
The House of Representatives voted 158 to 51 with six abstentions to adopt a report of the committee on justice on the dismissal of the impeachment cases either for being insufficient in substance or for violating the rule against the filing of successive impeachment complaints against an impeachable official within one year after a first complaint is lodged.
"Many of them are regretful, the others have realized what they have done because their constituents got angry at them for making such a decision," Cayetano said.
But Cayetano said they would be more careful this time in dealing with the promises of the "repentant" legislators because they have already learned their lessons after being "betrayed" by some of their colleagues.
"There are those who have sent us feelers. We told them that unless they have 27 others, we will not deal with them first," Cayetano said.
The pro-impeachment group failed to gather the required 79 endorsers to elevate the case to the Senate for trial.
Only 51 congressmen voted against the dismissal of the impeachment cases while 158 said it should be junked.
Cayetano added that many congressmen are waiting if the administration will fulfill its promises to them in exchange for their support against the impeachment cases because if not, they will turn their backs on her.
The pro-impeachment group has decided not to file the case before the Supreme Court but rather bring the case directly to the people through protest actions.
The congressman said their group supports the "People's Court" that the multisectoral Coalition for the Truth will create as part of the movement to oust Arroyo from office.
He said they will help the "People's Court" gather evidence against Arroyo, especially on the election fraud.
"We will give them a copy of our evidence and information so that the people may know the root of all these problems," he added.
Cayetano said the "People's Court" can be used as a venue to hear the evidence against Arroyo.
He urged others who know of election fraud allegedly committed by Arroyo to come out and stand as witnesses. "It's now or never. Say your piece now or hold your piece forever," he added.
Cayetano also revealed that the opposition is creating a broader coalition with other political parties to press for Arroyo's resignation.
He said more protests and demonstrations would be conducted in the coming days. (AP/Sunnex)
(September 11, 2005 issue)
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