EDITORIAL - Rally for change

Just days after announcing that the Estrada ship is taking in water, Mar Roxas resigned as secretary of trade and industry. Next to quit was a close supporter of the President, Political Affairs Adviser Angelito Banayo. The President’s economic advisers from the private sector have stepped aside. Over at the House of Representatives, a majority of congressmen now support the President’s impeachment after 46 lawmakers led by Speaker Manuel Villar himself signed the complaint and bolted the ruling Lapian ng Masang Pilipino coalition.

The world is closing in on Joseph Estrada. "I get the message," the President said several times in recent days as he promised reforms in the wake of the jueteng scandal. His pronouncements, however, indicate that he’s not getting it, or is simply ignoring the message. People want change – the type that can’t be implemented with the creation of yet another fact-finding body, or the appointment of a Cabinet member to investigate the presidential families’ questionable assets. "Too little, too late" was how former President Corazon Aquino described the reforms ordered or being planned by President Estrada.

While it’s now certain that the House will forward the impeachment complaint to the Senate, the trial is expected to take time. With changes coming at lightning speed these days, the impeachment process may be overtaken by events. In the meantime, the political uncertainty will pull the peso further down and give the stock market a drubbing. Can the nation afford a protracted period of unrest?

The President’s main argument is that he has a duty to fulfill his mandate, which he won overwhelmingly in 1998. But he said he is willing to listen to the people. He is open to a referendum or a snap election, he said, but these two options will not give the nation the truth or render justice. The people, however, have another way of making their sentiments known not only to the President but to the world: by taking to the streets. This afternoon, rain or shine, there will be a rally at the spot commemorating the people power revolt in 1986. Simultaneous rallies will be held in key cities nationwide. At EDSA and across the country, let your voices be heard today.