8 July 2005

PRESS STATEMENT OF CONG. ROILO GOLEZ
THE PRESIDENT, NOT THE CABINET, MUST RESIGN

The President’s call for the resignation of her entire cabinet is a BOLD INITIATIVE. But a bold initiative can be made only by a President with a strong mandate.

PGMA does not have that strong mandate. On the contrary, her legitimacy is now in question because of allegations of massive, systematic fraud in last year’s presidential election. A grave moral issue has tarred and feathered her presidency.

She has lost the moral authority and credibility to lead and govern. Her government is now facing paralysis and public rejection. Except for the traditional political organizations, there is no major business, religious, academic or civil society entity that has come out to defend or support her.

At best for her, a few are espousing, after acknowledging her accountability and even culpability, that it is up to her to resign or let the constitutional process of impeachment proceed.

The overwhelming majority of those who have spoken up demand her resignation. These include respected institutions like the UP College of Law, De La Salle University, National Council of Churches (Protestant Churches), Ateneo Student Council and Faculty, IBP Chapters of Cebu and Negros Oriental, several influential Catholic bishops, and many more. Everyday, a new call for resignation rings from more groups.

Her ratings are the lowest for any sitting president in the history of our country. 61% feel that the country is better off without her.

PGMA is trying to arrest her government’s tailspin by jettisoning her cabinet. With no credibility and with a hostile environment demanding her resignation, how can her cabinet, even if overhauled, function effectively? And why blame the cabinet?

Where will she get persons of competence and honor for her new cabinet? Most of those who have the qualifications are part of organizations which are now demanding her resignation or declaring her culpability.

The fault is not in the cabinet. It is the President, not the cabinet, whose moral right to lead that is in question.

She even blamed Congress for “the endless investigations and scandals in aid of political and media projection, rather than in aid of legislation or executive action.” Obviously, she was referring to the Juetengate investigation in the Senate and the Garci tapes investigation in the House.

But the congressional inquiries are the people’s counterpoint to Malacanang’s attempt to cover up, especially in the case of the Garci tapes. Congress has been the people’s bulwark in their right to information. What stories of foul and sordid deeds would have remained buried if Congress did not intervene?

And now she blames everybody with the statement: “We are collectively to blame.” But we were not part of the electoral fraud conspiracy so elaborately narrated by the Garci tapes! The 2004 electoral fraud is the central issue. The rest are side issues.

It is sad for the country that sycophants in her cabinet, and I can think of two or three right now, who say that she is on the right track, even though the country is now on a free fall for lack of credible moral leadership.

If she continues to hang on to power, I am afraid that extra constitutional forces might intervene.

I have confirmed from my own sources that there are rumblings in the military, from colonels down to junior officers and even enlisted personnel. These rumblings have been exacerbated by revelations from the Garci tapes that some ranking military and police officers were used to tamper with the 2004 election results and they have even been rewarded with promotion, instead of being cashiered. The President must not ignore these rumblings. This is very serious.

Her photo ops with generals professing loyalty remind me of the TV spectacle of the then Chief of Staff and ranking generals professing loyalty to then President Erap Estrada a few days before they all turned against him.

For the sake of the country, the President must help in preventing the extra-constitutional forces from intervening by making the supreme sacrifice of stepping down from office.

Resignation is the most honorable option for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Resignation will allow her to preside over the orderly, peaceful transition as her parting act of statesmanship and legacy.