‘Let’s shut up, help GMA’

Administration lawmakers urged their opposition colleagues yesterday to heed Malacañang’s call for a political "ceasefire" that will help unify the country and speed up its economic development.

"We should all follow Rep. Didagen Dilangalen’s principle to shut up. It’s over. It’s time to heal, unite and work as one nation again. It’s time for all camps to reconcile," said Davao City Rep. Prospero Nograles.

Nograles said the opposition leaders should think not just of their personal interests but also of the "nation’s good."

"A political ceasefire is a step toward national unity," he said.

Marikina Rep. Del de Guzman believes a "political ceasefire" could be the opposition’s contribution "to the faster development of the nation."

"If the National Democratic Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front have agreed to talk peace with the government, I see no reason why the opposition should not explore peace too with the administration as their contribution to the nation’s recovery," he said.

But another administration stalwart, Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay, cautioned the opposition against interpreting President Arroyo’s call for unity as "a sign of weakness."

"The opposition should not misconstrue the President’s unity call as a sign of weakness because it is her sincere gesture of inviting everyone — regardless of political party — to work for the common good," he said.

Pichay criticized the "irresponsible members of the opposition" for their "divisive, destructive and combative politics," even as he warned "those who choose extra-constitutional means to continue destabilizing the government" to prepare for the "full force of the law."

Mrs. Arroyo’s call for unity is expected to be the theme of her inaugural address in Cebu City on Wednesday.

"We need our people to be united very much in these times. We have just come from a very divisive election and if we want to move forward, we have to be united," Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye Jr. said yesterday.

The President will have an island-hopping inauguration on June 30. While she will deliver her inaugural address at Rizal Park (Luneta) in Manila, Mrs. Arroyo will be sworn into office in Cebu.

"Thus, the celebration encompasses practically all of the country," Bunye said.