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Thursday, October 27, 2005
Arroyo repeats offer of national unity to foes
By Charmaine Y. Rodriguez
with Allan I. Varquez
CEBU CITY -- Since setting up a parliamentary system will take time, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is proposing a government of national unity to bring her administration and the opposition together.
She announced during her visit in Cebu Wednesday her plans to consult sectors on the creation of a government where she will welcome members of the opposition to help govern the country.
“The proposal for a government of national unity is not meant to please the opposition but to consolidate the nation behind our economic take-off,” she said in her speech during the inauguration of the Hilton Cebu Resort and Spa in Lapu-Lapu City Wednesday.
Opposition legislators, however, have rejected her earlier proposal for a coalition government.
On Wednesdayy, the Citizens’ Congress for Truth and Accountability even sent the President a notice of proceedings of the people’s court that will look into allegations of electoral fraud and corruption against her.
“They talked about rejecting power-sharing. This is not about power sharing. Power sharing is only applicable in a parliamentary system. So, we’ll wait for that change in the Charter. But in the meantime, the word for it is not power sharing. It’s sharing public leadership and responsibility for the common good,” Arroyo said.
Her proposal, she said, remains an option for leaders, like Senator Edgardo Angara, “who want to pitch in.”
However, Environment Secretary Michael Defensor, a close ally of Arroyo, said the President should welcome only members of the “responsible opposition” or those who will work with her under the framework of democracy.
Aside from Angara, Defensor is open to House Minority Leader Francis Escudero. “I’m willing to give up my department if need be,” Defensor said.
The secretary said they had no inkling of Arroyo’s announcement Wednesday, but he believes she might have come up with the idea after talking with Angara and El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde.
The President had announced Monday night that she is going to make a “big” announcement during her visit to Cebu.
She urged a gathering of local officials, businessmen and Youth Council leaders to help her reach out to groups calling for her ouster.
She will introduce, “through the help of policymakers, the movers and shakers of the industry and the future of the land, a more democratic, more participatory mechanism for maintaining dialogue with the people in lieu of militant street demonstrations and rallies.”
“A tall order? But if you’re going to take a look at all these things, Cebu has done it. If Cebu has done it, we work together, the Philippines can do it,” she said.
She also outlined her speech on building a strong republic, following Cebu’s example of becoming a “strong island.”
In a time when the nation is facing threats of the avian flu, terrorism, destabilization and high oil prices, it is best to turn to God, Arroyo said.
Militant groups and the opposition, however, are taking to the streets to call for the President’s resignation and to oppose her no permit, no rally policy.
Mandaue City policemen stopped members of party-list organization Bayan Muna from proceeding to Lapu-Lapu City to mount their caravan protest.
In a separate interview, Representative Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south) said the President asked him, as chairman of the House committee on foreign affairs, and Representative Simeon Datumanong, chairman of the House committee on justice, to defend the anti-terrorism bill when Congress takes it up on Nov. 7.
Although they expect opposition from party-list representatives, Cuenco is confident they could muster enough votes to get the body’s approval of the bill, which Arroyo certified as urgent. (Sun.Star Cebu)
(October 27, 2005 issue)
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