Lacson admits opposition hobbled by disunity

The opposition’s failure to oust President Arroyo may be blamed on disunity rather than lack of desire to achieve their goal.

Opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson admitted yesterday that lack of unity within its ranks is one of the major reasons why moves to topple the Arroyo administration have failed.

Lacson conceded that members of the opposition and various individuals and groups have been pushing for their own interests — a circumstance that led to the failure of the impeachment process last week at the House of Representatives.

"The one thing that’s going against the opposition now is really disunity, not lack of credibility," Lacson said when interviewed over ANC television yesterday.

Lacson attributed Mrs. Arroyo’s political survival to "the lack of unity among the different opposition groups — not only the opposition groups but different sectors that want the President ousted or to resign."

Despite this, Lacson said the President’s grip on power will remain unstable because the opposition will continue to file impeachment cases against her every year until moves to impeach her succeed.

"I would say it’s far from over insofar as Malacañang is concerned," he said. "There is a lot of payback (the President) must make. For one, she has made many promises to many congressmen and I don’t see her delivering on those promises because there are so many commitments," he said.

Lacson, who was chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the Estrada administration, detailed these alleged compromises.

He said that, for every congressman who voted against the impeachment, a relative might be given a juicy government post, such as "if there is a (congressman’s) sibling who is a lawyer who could be appointed as a judge."

Lacson, who described the dismissal of the impeachment complaint against Mrs. Arroyo as a tactical defeat, said the anti-Arroyo coalition is working only for its immediate goal — which is the President’s resignation.

However, these groups have no clear goal for Filipinos once Mrs. Arroyo is ousted or pushed to resign.

"I heard (De La Salle University System president) Bro. (Armin) Luistro say that they are not really concerned about what will come next, after the President is removed," Lacson said. "Their only concern is really for her to be ousted because it is really wrong that she is there."

This lack of direction and unity has "turned off" several sectors, including the elite and business groups, "in so many ways," Lacson said.

"Let’s put it this way. We’re getting there because this is the first time that a Coalition for Truth exists," he said. "But we have not discussed what will come to pass after the first objective is accomplished."