Bro. Eddie calls for snap presidential elections

The leader of the Jesus is Lord Church Worldwide called on President Arroyo yesterday to call for "snap" presidential elections to resolve the legitimacy question that has been hounding her presidency for more than two years now.

Speaking before some one million faithful during the JIL’s 28th anniversary at the Rizal Park in Manila, Bro. Eddie Villanueva said if Mrs. Arroyo wins in a snap election, they will rally the people to fully support her and her programs.

"The continued failure of the Arroyo administration to solve the grinding poverty that has continued to beset the majority of the Filipinos, the apparent breakdown in the justice system, the unbridled unemployment and the shocking and blatant reign of corruption, which the World Bank recently claimed as having worsened making the country second most corrupt country in Asia," he said, citing the reasons for a snap election.

Villanueva said if Mrs. Arroyo loses she would stand tall and earn the eternal gratitude of the nation for having aborted a possible armed confrontation threatening the country.

"Greed for power and money has driven our country to the brink of destruction," he said.

The JIL is praying for God’s divine intervention in these trying times and asks all peace-loving and God-fearing Filipinos to unite in prayer and penance to teach us to repent our evil ways and to heal our broken land, he added.

Villanueva also questioned the apparent refusal of the administration to stop the enforcement of Executive Order 464, in spite of the Supreme Court decision declaring it as unconstitutional.

Malacañang instead issued Memorandum Circular 108, "with practically the same wording and definitely with same effect," to prevent government officials from appearing before congressional committees investigating allegations of graft and other anomalies, he added.

Villanueva said almost 70 percent of Filipinos believe that Mrs. Arroyo’s presidency is illegitimate, and that they do not want her to continue in office.

"Mrs. Arroyo’s public acceptance rating continues to decline as shown by various poll surveys," he said.

"She is the only real solution to the issue of legitimacy and the worsening political situation in the country. She must heed the voice of the people and show her caring patriotism and remaining love for our country by returning the right of the Filipino people to choose their rightful leader in a free and credible snap election, supervised by an international monitoring team sanctioned by the United Nations."