Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Arroyo government shrugs off call for snap polls
MANILA -- Malacañang scoffed Monday at proposals from the opposition calling for a snap election, saying detractors of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's administration were "getting desperate."
"Not having succeeded in the streets and then in the impeachment, they are now calling for a snap election. A snap election will certainly snap our political and economic momentum," said Arroyo spokesman Ignacio Bunye.
Bunye said the proposal does not have constitutional basis because it would cut the term of a duly-elected leader in order to satisfy the political ambitions of a few.
"It will signal a return to the politicking that the people have rejected. This is a surefire formula for a banana republic where the next leader will be the object of unending plots and intrigues," he said.
"Let us not abandon the fate and future of 84 million Filipinos to the mercy of a power hungry few. We appreciate all moves to heal our land and in moving our country forward but not quick-fix remedies that will only push our people deeper into poverty and uncertainty," he added.
Bunye called for a stop to the cycle of destabilization and for focusing on the economy and amending the 1987 Constitution.
Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Vidal said in Cebu that he was not calling for snap elections to put an end to the country's political crisis.
In a statement, Monsignor Achilles Dakay of the Archdiocese of Cebu said Vidal's presence in the meeting hosted by the Makati Business Club (MBC) last Saturday should not be interpreted as meaning he is part of the group that is pushing for snap elections.
"The archbishop of Cebu, Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, is disassociating himself from newspaper reports that he is one of those calling for snap elections," Dakay said.
He said Vidal still abides by the position of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued on July 10, 2005 rejecting calls for the resignation of President Arroyo.
Dakay added that the archbishop enjoined the faithful to pray for leaders of the country. "Cardinal Vidal also appealed for a stop of political intrigues especially those who drag the names of bishops and the Catholic Church," he said.
Lingayen-Daguan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, on the other hand, supported the claim of Dakay, saying that the presence of Vidal during the MBC meeting should not be construed that the prelate is among those who are calling for special elections.
He said "Cardinal Vidal is there just to listen but not as an active participant."
Cruz said knowing Vidal, it would be impossible for the head of the Cebu Archdiocese to push or support a certain side because he is "known for being a listener and not a talker."
He explained that Vidal acted as representative of the CBCP in the meeting who was there to listen to all sides and opinions. "We listen to everybody, the left and the right and the middle. He was there to listen but he was not part of the activities there. (Pushing for the snap election) that is not Cardinal Vidal," said Cruz.
Former executive secretary Oscar Orbos, meanwhile, said the proposed snap elections "is not the answer to the brewing political tension in the country" because even if "we hold snap elections, unless we root out the problem, this snap election will still be a failure."
For his part, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. said they are ready for the holding of a plebiscite or snap election.
Abalos said he sees no problem as far as funding and personnel are concerned should the electoral exercise push through because the Comelec has enough staff to perform its mandate of ensuring honest, credible and peaceful elections.
The holding of a snap election nowadays would also erase doubts on Comelec's credibility brought about by allegations of fraud in last year's elections involving then Comelec commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, he said.
"I feel bad that it (alleged cheating in last year's elections) happened because we, in the Comelec, have been condemned because of such illegal activity. It's unfair, if only people would know that it's not like that," he said.
Abalos said what happened to Comelec was not even the result of a "trial of facts" and that "the agency's credibility and integrity at present depend on what newspaper a person reads." (JMR/MSN/Sunnex)
(October 25, 2005 issue)
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