MANILA, 29 June 2005 — After making a public apology for interfering in the counting of votes in the May 2004 presidential election, President Gloria Ma

capagal Arroyo is sending people close to her abroad on extended vacations, ABS-CBN reported last night.

Arroyo is to announce today that her husband, Mike, son Juan Miguel (Mikey) and brother-in-law Ignacio (Iggy), will leave the country, the broadcast network said in an exclusive report quoting an unnamed source in the Senate.

The departure of the three has been a condition for some groups not to support moves for the ouster of the president, said the report.

“This gesture would be the president’s way of showing sincerity to back up the public apology she made Monday night,” ABS-CBN quoted its source as saying.

Arroyo has been damaged by accusations that her son and brother-in-law, both members of Congress, pocketed huge illegal gambling payoffs. The two have denied the allegations, the subject of a Senate hearing.

Her husband had also been linked to gambling payoffs.

Arroyo’s allies had reportedly been asking for Mikey and Iggy, both elected members of the House of Representatives, to resign their posts to take the heat away from the president.

Mikey had earlier gone on official leave of absence from Congress to ease his mother’s pain and clear his name, while his uncle said he has yet to consult his constituents on the matter.

President Arroyo came under intense pressure yesterday after she admitted discussing last year’s vote count with an election official, with opponents demanding that she resign and even supporters saying she must regain the people’s trust.

More Unanswered Questions

A somber Arroyo broke her silence Monday in a three-week-old scandal over wiretap recordings, acknowledging in a televised speech that she talked to an election official about protecting a million-vote victory margin in May 2004 presidential polls. But she denied rigging the polls and said she won’t resign, apologizing for the lapse and appealing for unity.

“I recognize that making any such call was a lapse in judgment,” Arroyo said. “I am sorry ... I want to close this chapter and move on with the business of governing.”

Arroyo left many questions unanswered about the recordings, and opposition politicians vowed to pursue protests and legal steps against her, maintaining she cheated her way to victory.

Her spokesman, Ignacio Bunye, insisted yesterday that “nothing has been violated and there is no cause for impeachment.” He said the wiretaps recordings were still being investigated.

“We believe that the president will be given a new chance to pursue the reforms she has started,” he said, adding,

“Today, in our country, there is a group that with or without this tape controversy, will try to sow chaos.”

The opposition said Arroyo should step down. “I wish she would examine her conscience and look at herself in the mirror and ask herself if she can still lead the country,” opposition Rep. Francis Escudero said.

Arroyo’s former national security adviser, Rep. Roilo Golez, she should resign because she has lost her moral authority and because the scandal would paralyze Congress when in convenes next month.

Senate President Franklin Drilon, an Arroyo ally, said there was no basis for asking Arroyo to resign but added that: “The president should take steps to bring back the trust of her leadership.”

House Inquiry

The battle over Arroyo’s future now moves to Congress, where pro-Arroyo lawmakers, who hold a majority in both houses, want to conclude a weeklong inquiry into the wiretaps.

Escudero objected to closing the inquiry, and said the administration was pushing the opposition “outside the legal framework. They are closing legal avenues available to the people seeking the appropriate punishment for the president.”

Such comments are explosive in the Philippines because they suggest a move toward the “people power” revolts that ousted late dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and Arroyo’s predecessor, Joseph Estrada, in 2001.

However, almost daily street protests calling for Arroyo’s resignation haven’t matched those massive street rallies, and she still enjoys support of the powerful military.

Rene Saguisag, a former senator and human rights lawyer, said Arroyo “violated her oath, her duty under the constitution ... because she asked someone to protect my votes, not to protect the integrity of the process.”

“At the very least this apology is tainted,” said Ronald Illamas of the left-wing Akbayan party.

“This is a very calculated apology, blending the negative and positive ... it is lacking in sincerity and responsiblity.”

Two former presidential contenders, Eddie Villanueva and Raul Roco, said Arroyo should call a special election. Popular action film actor Fernando Poe Jr., who finished second — 1.1 million votes behind Arroyo — died from a stroke in December.

Poe’s mentor, ousted President Joseph Estrada, said Arroyo’s presidency was illegitimate. (Additional input from The Associated Press)