MANILA, 11 July — Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo continued to hang on to power yesterday after the country’s influential Roman Catholic bishops stopped short of calling for her resignation.
After a four-day meeting full of rancor and in which the voice of the late Cardinal Jaime Sin was sorely missed, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) came up with a compromise position saying that while the allegations of wrongdoing against Arroyo had further eroded public trust in the political system, she must be allowed to search her heart for the best solution.
“In the spirit of humility and truth, we declare our prayerfully discerned collective decision that we do not demand her resignation,” the conference said in a statement read by its president, Archbishop Fernando Capalla.
“Yet, neither do we encourage her simply to dismiss such a call from others,” it added.
They said they preferred an impeachment trial to be pursued instead of an outright resignation, which would have propelled to the presidency former broadcaster Noli de Castro, who is widely perceived to be unfit for the job. The bishops said their role was merely to shepherd their flock and not to “point to specific political option” but said they rejected a military junta as well as a coup d’etat.
Any demands by the 85 bishops for Arroyo to quit would have sealed her fate in the overwhelmingly Catholic country. In 1986 and 2001, the church led army-backed popular uprisings that toppled graft-tainted Presidents Ferdinand Marcos and Joseph Estrada.
Arroyo’s fall was deemed imminent on Friday when seven members of her Cabinet and three other key officials resigned and asked her to do the same.
On that same day, former President Corazon Aquino, who had been supportive of Arroyo, publicly called on her to spare the country from a violent confrontation by making the “supreme sacrifice” of resigning.
This was followed by a withdrawal of support by the influential Makati Business Club and the Liberal Party, a key member of Arroyo’s ruling coalition.
Arroyo was saved by a last-minute intervention by former President Fidel Ramos and House of Representatives Speaker Jose de Venecia, who rallied fence-sitting Arroyo allies to come to the president’s rescue.
Political analysts said, however, that the support by Ramos and the bishops were clearly temporary.
Ramos, a retired general whose presidency from 1993-1998 presidency saw a Philippine economic rebound, made it clear that he wants a shift from the presidential system to a parliamentary system effective next year, cutting short Arroyo’s term which is to end in June 2010.
Humbled and Thankful
Arroyo, whom aides said was humbled by the CBCP’s wishy-washy stand, thanked the “beloved bishops” for their remarks.
“I shall continue to pray with the Filipino people for true redemption from corruption and evil,” said Arroyo, who has been caught on tape repeatedly talking by phone with an election commissioner while the votes in last year’s election were being counted.
Cardinal Ricardo Vidal said the prospects of Arroyo resigning scared him because of a possible leadership vacuum.
Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, incoming president of the bishops’ conference, said Arroyo should “prove that she is really sorry for what she has done to restore her credibility, to restore the integrity of the government and reform the different institutions of our government.”
The bishops in the predominantly Roman Catholic country played key role in the 1986 “people power” revolution that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos and the 2001 repeat which forced out Arroyo’s predecessor, Joseph Estrada.
Arroyo has apologized to the nation for impropriety in calling a senior poll commissioner during the election count. But she has denied cheating and vowed to stay in power.
Arroyo’s husband, son and brother-in-law were also being investigated by Congress on allegations that they have received money from illegal gambling financiers.
The bishops called for “a thorough, credible and independent process to examine the authenticity of the so-called Garcillano tapes.”
The House of Representatives is due to take up the impeachment complaint during its next session on July 25, a process which Arroyo says she would welcome to clear her name.
Arroyo, a 58-year-old US-trained economist, was swept to the presidency by a church-led people power revolt that ousted her predecessor Estrada in 2001 over allegations of massive corruption.
Tired of Politics
Ironically, Arroyo may yet be saved by the very disillusionment caused by people power’s failure to result in meaningful social or economic change.
The man in the street appears fed up with Filipino politics.
The opposition has yet to muster more than several thousand demonstrators on the streets for anti-Arroyo protests.
The withdrawal of support for Arroyo by former ally the Liberal Party on Friday could give the opposition the necessary one-third vote in the lower house of congress to start an impeachment.
But a two-thirds vote in the Senate to convict her in a trial presided over by the chief justice would be more problematic.
Members of the United Opposition (UNO) are more interested in the creation of a “caretaker council’’ to replace both Arroyo and Vice President de Castro, which will place them also at odds with the Liberal Party and other groups who want De Castro to succeed Arroyo.
UNO executive council member Horacio said that the “caretaker council’’ would be responsible for holding new elections and overhauling the judiciary, Congress and other government institutions.
Perhaps Arroyo’s biggest asset in the crisis is the opposition’s liability — the lack of a credible leader.
Arroyo’s opponent in the 2004 election, action film star Fernando Poe Jr., died last year. His widow, actress Susan Roces, has no experience. Estrada, who maintains he was illegally removed from power, is under house arrest while standing trial for corruption.
Temporary Reprieve
Some political analysts said, however, that Arroyo’s reprieve was only temporary.
Tony Gatmaitan said the statement “does not cut any ice with the people” and would merely give Arroyo some breathing space. He predicted that with the church position finally known, mass protests would follow.
Joel Rocamora said the statement “just postpones her inevitable downfall.”
“I think this coming week the impact of the resignation of her economic team is going to come crashing in,” he said, predicting a stock market crash and a plummeting peso.
Leftist Rep. Satur Ocampo said despite the bishops’ position, he expects anti-Arroyo protests to continue.
“It’s a dampening factor in the sense that the religious sectors allied to the CBCP may become reluctant to join popular actions but we still expect militant sections of the religious sector to go to the streets.”
Communist guerrillas vowed to step up attacks on government targets across the archipelago in an attempt to further weaken the presidency of Arroyo.
And the Revolutionary Patriotic Alliance (RAM), a military group blamed for past coup attempts, called on Arroyo to step down, saying allegations that she rigged last year’s election have sparked a crisis that threatens to erupt into violence.
Retired navy Capt. Proceso Maligalig, a spokesman for the group, said the constitutional options included Arroyo’s resignation and an impeachment trial.
“If the constitution would not be followed, there could be groups that might run wild in the streets. We’ll move if that happens to save the republic,” said Maligalig, who is now the president of a state-run corporation.
Another group linked to past coup attempts, the Guardian Brotherhood Inc., called for Arroyo’s immediate resignation. The group, a fraternity of military men and civilians, has been deeply fragmented, with one faction backing Arroyo.
Arroyo “is heading this country to a phenomenal disaster unless she herself, and no one else, takes a political detour,” the group said in a statement.
Amid the standoff, military officials told troops not to be distracted and to continue watching against any armed group seeking to take advantage by seizing power.
“We are calling on all sectors of society to stop urging the military to get politically involved,” military chief of staff Gen. Efren Abu said in a national radio address.
“I would like to say to all that our armed forces will remain faithful to our constitution. I will not allow its violation,” he said. (With input from Inquirer News Service & agencies)
