‘What’s Angara up to?’

What is Sen. Edgardo Angara up to?

Representatives Prospero Pichay of Surigao del Sur, Douglas Cagas of Davao del Sur and Mauricio Domogan of Baguio City asked this question yesterday in reaction to Angara’s proposal that President Arroyo and Vice President Noli de Castro quit their posts to allow the holding of a snap presidential election.

The three allies of the President said it was Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. who first made such call last year at the height of the "Hello, Garci" audiotape scandal.

The proposal did not catch fire then because it lacked popular support, they said.

There was also no reason for the President and De Castro to resign since they were elected to a six-year term that expires in June 2010, they said.

They added that they could not understand why Angara would resurrect the snap election idea now that the public has almost forgotten about it.

Under the Angara proposal, the Senate and the House would pass a joint resolution asking Mrs. Arroyo and De Castro to resign and scheduling a snap presidential election.

Pichay, Cagas and Domogan pointed out that such a joint resolution, if pushed, would have little support in the House, which is dominated by Arroyo loyalists.

"There is no reason at all to entertain Sen. Angara’s proposal. It is both unlawful and baseless. There is no popular support for it, and the House will trash such an idea," said Cagas.

Mrs. Arroyo has obstinately resisted calls for her to resign in order to settle the lingering political crisis facing her administration.

On July 8 last year, she survived a succession of pleas for her to quit from 10 resigned Cabinet members and other officials, former President Corazon Aquino, Senate President Franklin Drilon, the influential Makati Business Club and other sectors.

Former President Fidel Ramos came to her "rescue" then by coming to Malacañang and announcing his support for the beleaguered Mrs. Arroyo.

But soon after, Ramos began insisting she cut short her term to allow for early parliamentary elections.