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Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Traders praise Catholic bishops' stand on Arroyo crisis
By Albert B. Lacanlale
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Businessmen in Pampanga hailed Tuesday the collective declaration of the Catholic bishops in the country for not asking President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to resign.
Last Sunday, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said it would not demand Arroyo's resignation but it called on the President to face the liability of her mistake when she called up former Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Virgilio Garcillano at the height of the canvassing of presidential votes last year.
"We believe that the CBCP's statement has blunted the divisive calls for the President to resign and stopped on their tracks any plans or attempts to subvert the Constitution through a force or violence," said the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (PamCham) in a statement.
PamCham president Levy P. Laus said the bishops' position has had sobering and calming effects on the nation and has rescued the country from slipping into irreversible anarchy and chaos.
"The bishops' collective wisdom has focused on the real issues and how these must be handled not only within the framework of the Constitution but more broadly in the context of our faith and our moral values," he said.
Laus believes that President Arroyo can now pursue her reform agenda and economic plans with greater confidence and stability.
The business group said the development should speed up the country back to political normalcy and bring back the confidence of foreign and local investors in the Philippine economy.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), through PamCham, said it respected the decision of Cabinet members who had cut ties with the Arroyo Government.
But the PCCI stood pat on its position that the resignation of Arroyo can only be voluntary and that "we cannot force the President to do it."
"The Constitution clearly provides for ways in handling and resolving these issues before us. We support constitutional process, including impeachment proceedings," the group said.
The PCCI said all concerned should uphold the interest of the nation at all times.
(July 13, 2005 issue)
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