Defeated poll candidates told to accept GMA victory

Religious groups called on losers in the May 10 national elections to embrace the victory of President Arroyo so that the nation can finally move forward.

"We are calling the citizenry to submit to the sovereign authority in the land, end divisiveness and restore peace to Philippine politics," said lawyer Jose Calida, one of the convenor of the "Romans 13 Movement."

The appeal was apparently addressed to the political opposition, which still refuses to concede defeat to Mrs. Arroyo and her Vice President Noli de Castro even as both were already proclaimed as winners by Congress and are set to take their oath of office on June 30.

The camp of defeated opposition presidential bet Fernando Poe Jr. are mulling the filing of an electoral protest with the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.

Admitting defeat "will never happen,"outgoing Sen. Vicente Sotto III has said, maintaining Poe’s victory had been snatched away from him by the administration.

Composed of church leaders, the Romans 13 Movement was formally launched yesterday at the Manila Pavilion.

Other evangelical leaders also expressed their support to the Arroyo administration as they reiterated their call for the healing and rebuilding of the nation polarized by partisan politics.

The President met recently with leaders of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) in Quezon City to thank them for issuing their appeal for unity.

In a statement, the PCEC said Mrs. Arroyo also sought for prayers from the group so that the wounds of the defeated candidates may heal.

At the meeting, evangelical leaders headed by PCEC national director Bishop Efraim Tendero stressed their call for Mrs. Arroyo to provide the people with good governance that will "promote good and restrain evil."

The PCEC is a network of 20,000 evangelical churches nationwide which claims to have close to two million members and links to foreign churches and church-based organizations.

The Romans 13 Movement is also composed of evangelical church leaders whose primary goal is to restore peace in the country, especially in the whirly world of politics. The group’s name is taken from a biblical passage, calling on the people to submit to governing authorities.

Both the PCEC and Romans 13 Movement discouraged election losers from taking to the streets their complaints of poll fraud.

"We can no longer afford another EDSA," Calida pointed out.

Calida, a justice undersecretary of the Arroyo administration, said the defeated political candidates should turn to electoral tribunals for their protests.

Calida denied that his position in government had anything to do with the movement.

"I have long been a Christian before I worked in government. This call is purely part of my obligation as a Christian," he said.

The PCEC agreed.

And even though last month’s election was far from perfect, the PCEC said it reflected "by and large the will of the people."

Earlier, re-elected Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. of the opposition said there is no one else to blame but the President and her allies in Congress if restiveness and discord would continue to hound the country.

Pimentel insisted Poe could have emerged winner in the congressional canvass if Mrs. Arroyo’s supporters in the 22-man joint committee did not block opening of election returns and statement of votes.