Protestant churches join call for GMA resignation

The pressure on President Arroyo was raised a notch as the country’s Protestant churches yesterday joined other groups in calling for her resignation in the wake of the "Gloriagate" wiretapping scandal.

In a statement, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) said that they are "saddened that (the President) should be concerned about protecting her votes, when as president, it is the people’s well-being that she should protect."

The NCCP statement, signed by NCCP chair Rev. Ignacio Soliba and general secretary Sharon Ruiz Duremdes, also said the President’s admission "does not allay the people’s doubts about the honesty and genuineness of the election results."

The NCCP has a congregation of 13 million and counts as members the country’s major Protestant churches, such as the United Churches of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) and the Iglesia Filipina Independiente or the Aglipayan Church.

The NCCP said the President’s apology will not change public perception about her administration: "She will forever be haunted and hounded by people’s questions about her moral ascendancy and legitimacy to lead this country."

"The most honorable thing for her to do now is resign. A country can only be strong if it is led by one who enjoys the trust, respect and support of the broad masses of people," it said.

Catholic groups, too, have joined the call for the President’s resignation — particularly the Kilusang Makabansang Ekonomiya (KME) coalition led by Catholic bishops and the militant clergy group Gomburza, which spearheads the People’s Assembly for Genuine Alternatives to Social Apathy (Pag-asa) convened by running priest Fr. Robert Reyes.

KME chair and Infanta, Quezon Bishop Emeritus Julio Xavier Labayen said the government "has turned itself away from the people. It has lost moral and legal authority. It has cheated its way to power and violated the most basic of peoples’ rights."

Labayen said the President "must step down to avert the imminent bloody confrontation growing out of people’s sufferings caused and exacerbated by years of destructive policies and government exactions."

The KME is also supported by Novaliches Bishop Antonio Tobias, Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, San Pablo, Laguna Bishop Leo Drona, and Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra.

Though the KME is calling for Mrs. Arroyo’s resignation, it said neither is it rallying for another "people power" revolt to topple her.

In the event of a resignation by Mrs. Arroyo, the KME proposed that a transitional or caretaker government be put in place with elections to be held after one year.

Reyes said Pag-asa will use "moral pressure" to force the President, her Cabinet members, Vice President Noli de Castro and the Comelec officials to resign and pave the way for the establishment of a new leadership through non-violent means.

"These resignations will create a vacuum of power that can easily be exploited by other decadent and self-serving political forces," Reyes said. "We do not want this. We will propose an orderly and peaceful approach to fill this vacuum."

The research group IBON Foundation Inc. has also sought the creation of a "transition" council, saying the President’s resignation, her impeachment, or the conduct of a snap election may just cause problems regarding constitutional succession because of the perception that the May 2004 elections were rigged.

The economic think tank said replacing the President must be done within the bounds of the Constitution and should not compromise or further weaken the country’s already unstable economy.

IBON executive director Antonio Tujan warned that "the longer (Mrs. Arroyo) stays (in office), the more that the country’s economy is put in danger."

Tujan went as far as to warn against the "inevitable collapse" of the nation’s finances within the year. — Mike Frialde, Perseus Echeminada, Katherine Adraneda, Marvin Sy, Sandy Araneta