Party-list group rejects de Castro

The Partido ng Manggagawa party-list is opposed to Vice President Noli de Castro assuming the presidency if President Arroyo stepped down or was ousted.

The group said that de Castro is no different from Arroyo and installing him as her replacement will mean the continuation of all the policies of the present regime that have already caused desolation on the lives of the workers, particularly the poor.

"It will be an exercise in futility for the people to go through all the trouble of ousting the present regime if someone from the same mold will succeed," the group said.

PM, which represents workers in the country, said, "the elite is trying to steal the imminent victory" of the masses who are fighting to throw Arroyo out of power.

"The move by ex-Cabinet secretaries led by Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, former president Aquino, big businesses led by Makati Business Club and civil society groups calling for GMA's resignation and constitutional succession is pre-emptive strike against the people's alternative of a transitional revolutionary government that will jumpstart real reforms in society," the party-list group said in a statement.

PM along with its allied organizations like Sanlakas, Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, and Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng Maralitang Lungsod are advocating for a systematic change in the government through transitional revolution wherein people would be given the chance to nominate their candidates for the presidency.

These groups said they could not let de Castro become president because aside from his glaring incapability to lead the country, the elite also believe they could use him for their own interests being the man of the Lopezes, who own big businesses in the country.

"De Castro in power will be no different from GMA in essential aspects. In his one year as spare tire, he has not spoken one word of criticism against the anti-workers and anti-poor policies of the regime. He has remained deafeningly silent on the demand for a wage increase by the workers, on the struggle for labor protection against liberalization that has devastated the industry and agriculture, on the fight to repeal the oil deregulation law, among others," PM said.

With this, the workers call on the people to seek the resignation of both Arroyo and de Castro to establish a transitional revolutionary government instead of constitutional succession.