DAMMAM/RIYADH, 30 June 2005 — Filipinos in the Eastern Region feared that their compatriots at home will again mount another uprising, this time to kick out President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as she admitted interfering in the May 2004 election by talking to an election official involved in the count.

Joe Matusalem of a chemical company in Dammam told Arab News that Filipinos must “keep our calm and investigate this case properly in a legal manner and not to take drastic actions and incite another people power.”

Matusalem reacted furiously to the flood of e-mails calling for Arroyo to immediately step down.

Jeffrey Agura, leaded of a group of engineers, said it was good that Arroyo admitted wrongdoing. The problem, he said, is who will be the next president if Arroyo steps down.

“Ka Noli? I find him weak...and who will be in the opposition? This country needs a man or woman with the likes of Pakistan’s Musharaf, who has the will to bring those corrupt government officials as well as drug lords, jueteng lords and dirty politicians behind bars, and who has also the political will to keep congressmen and senators away from talk shows and do their job of legislating,” he said.

Ronnie Abeto, a Pusong Mamon Task Force officer based in Yanbu Al-Sinaiyah, a special presidential election or a plebiscite is to decide whether Arroyo should remain in power is better than resorting to an extra-judicial process to force her out.

“Saying ‘sorry’ is not enough,” said Fritz Arthur Armada, who works in a law firm in Riyadh. “We do not need leaders who will only say sorry and admit whatever lapses of their judgment when they are caught red-handed.”

“Admitting one’s mistake and being remorseful about it is a virtuous act of a leader, “ he added.

Gerald Villamia, who works in a mining company, commended Arroyo for issuing an apology.

“Ang ginawa niyang pag-amin sa bayan at maging sa buong mundo ay matatawag kong isang katangi-tanging ugali o asal (Her public admission of guilt is an exceptional act,” he said.

However, he said, it’s not right to just let her “move on” without imposing the necessary punishment.

Rashid Fabricante, action officer Pusong Mamon, what the president did was unfair to Filipino citizens who worked hard to help protect the integrity of the ballot.

“She had lost her probity and trustworthiness to lead a nation of 84 million Filipinos...,” said Fabricante, who was deputized by the Commission on Election as secretary of the Special Board of Canvassers (SBOC) during the May 10, 2004, election in Riyadh. “In seeking retribution or reparations, however, Filipinos should observe the due process of law and avoid extra-legal means of unseating the president.”

One respondent said another people power revolution would be quicker than an impeachment trial, which could be defeated in a Congress dominated by Arroyo allies.

“Let the people decide now! I voted for Arroyo but I don’t trust her anymore,” said one worker in Alkhobar.

Others said both an impeachment trial and another people power revolution could only lead to uncertainties and economic decline. They said Arroyo could forestall a stalemate by stepping down voluntarily.

Leaders of the All Filipino Community and Sports Commission (Afcscom) in the Eastern Province called for peace and unity.

In a gathering of the more than 50 presidents of the different Afscom member organizations, Afcscom over-all chairman Roi Alojado, said: “It is our wish in the Afcscom leadership that Filipinos must stay united and promote peace not only in the Philippines but also the Filipino community here.”

Sammy Perez, president of the Ras Tanura Overseas Filipino Workers Association (ROFWA), lamented that the political crisis at home has now affected Filipinos in the Kingdom.

“The divisiveness among Filipinos had now reached us here in the Kingdom, particularly here in the Eastern Region. Do we just want to let it happen? No!” Perez cried.

Lito Alpay, president of the Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers (PSME) Toastmasters Club in Dammam, lamented that politicians at home were helping in the polarization of the community by soliciting sympathy for their causes.

Tony Coloma, president of the Concerned Overseas Filipino Workers Association (COFWA) said the crisis should be resolved quickly because investors are leaving the country due to the political instability.

“We drove them out of our country. When they left, we cried that there are no jobs available in our country,” Coloma said.

Jose Rene de Pa?o, president of the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA), bewailed that 107 years after the Philippines declared its independence from Spain, Filipinos still don’t have “total freedom from unscrupulous leaders.”

“We can only achieve total freedom if we are free from corruption, if we are free from security disorders, and we are free from dirty politics,” de Pa?o said.

Regie Montana, president of the Ro Akeanon of Saudi Arabia (RASA), said that democracy has been obviously abused.

“Is this the meaning of democracy? Are we really using it properly?” Montana asked citing that political leaders in Manila did kill democracy by resulting to dirty politics just to gain attention from the poor masses.