Former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino, for the second time, called on President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to resign.
Aquino was quoted by Inquirer saying, … the most noble — and least disruptive — way out of the moral crisis would be for the President to resign from office.
With due respect, I disagree with the former president. Even if President Arroyo resigns today, the moral crisis will continue and even worsen – much more the nation’s political crisis.
We suffer political trauma. It seems people are getting tired of political rallies, mud-slinging, and personality assassination. We are desperately seeking way out of this situation but still don’t have better way to do it.
Sun Star Cebu editorial observes:
The prevailing national condition indicates a highly frustrated public over the way the nation has been governed by our national leaders with varied political orientations. The average Filipino has long been yearning for a country that is governed with an even hand by leaders who place common welfare above personal interests. Unfortunately, though, very few have the ideals and political will our nation needs.
I don’t think people are no longer listening to Cory, nor I will say that she lost her ‘aura’ to the masses. Cory has been long respected but such respect is not enough for the people to follow her.
The traumatic experience on political rallies and the move to oust the president are the two national baggages we carry. Although I am not against to it as both are democratic exercise but too much dosage of both have become suffocating.
Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in its statement yesterday, never urge President Arroyo to resign, although CBCP calls Arroyo and her government to fight graft ‘wherever it is found’.
Yesterday, peso rallied to 40.47 to the dollar, moving closer to the eight-year high of 40.40 hit earlier this month. Despite the political noise rising, it will not likely lead to the ouster of the President and also, there’s no clear-cut solution offered by the other sectors calling for the ouster, said Banco de Oro Unibank strategist Jonathan Ravelas, Inquirer reported.
It appears that the political rally last Monday has not gained much impact to business activities although it scares away investors.
Desperate rally groups now even use children. It pains me to see children bringing placards saying “the president is evil”. It pains me more hearing a child “my parents told me” when asked by a reporter why she thinks GMA is evil.
The rally staged by anti-GMA groups last Monday (Feb. 25, 2008) indicated that the Filipino people are no longer enthusiastic on radical moves. On Friday, February 29, the same groups will stage another rally. I doubt it will get the support they expect.
I call for truth to come out. I support the call to prosecute the corrupt but it should be in legal means. But for another people power to force the president to resign? NEVER.
______________________________________________
Jerry G. Gervacio|Mandaue City|Contact: Send Mail
Blog I author (Bisaya): Ambot Lang!
______________________________________________
Third Wave 
The old is dying and the new cannot be born….
batang buotan says:
Thank you.
Yes, it seems.
Sometimes, the poor families mobilized for rallies such as the march from the Fuente Rotunda to Gaisano Metro last Monday have no choice but to bring their children with them. Mind you, not all of them bring their children with them, not if they can.
The urban poor, peasant and working class are the traditional constituency of the mainstream Left. It is understandable that they do not have yayas or maids left at home to watch over their children for them while they’re marching for their avowed causes.
I’ve taken part in organizing such protests in the past and know that some of the families come from farflung rural areas outside of the city to take part in the mass action. It would be impratical to just leave their children at home.
These people are not hakots like in the case of rallies by the traditional opposition or administration politicians. In fact, a new phenomena today is the administration’s paying of cash to people in known opposition bailiwicks for them not to attend demonstrations. Sheesh
batang buotan says:
Thank you.
I am relieved to know that those “poor” people have no choice but to bring along their children just to voice out concerns to authorities. I’m relieved because the motive of those people is not to “use” their children (as I pointed in my post) to magnify (read as: exaggerate) the protest action. However, I still stand that in a family one must remain at home to take care of children. It’s too risky to bring them to rallies. Isn’t it?
“But for another people power to force the president to resign? NEVER.”
GMA is a really good manipulator, a classmate of mine has some relatives in Malacanang and told me how Gloria used all sorts of tactics just to erase the ZTE scandal from the media… and yes, one of them is the Glorietta Bombing. The opposition discovered this so GMA has to free Erap. The very reason why Erap has the courage to say all those things in the interviews about her because he knows that he did not receive GMA’s pardon, it was he who is giving her his pardon.
batang buotan says:
Thank you.
The way I see it, Erap has the courage to say against Malacañang despite of his pardon because he just exercise his civil rights, not in other way around. I agree, GMA knows how to play her game.
I get to laugh sometimes of people’s reaction especially those from malancañang merrying because CBCP did not call for PGMAs resignation. they should not be merrying because CBCPs statement is more serious than the call for resignation. it was just appropriate that the Catholic key people did not call for Arroyo’s resignation. at least they realize that people are too dependent of their decisions, people failed to use their own reasons, they failed to find solutions, they failed to decide for their own selves. people are only urge to go to rallies because that was what the priests calls. its time to decide on our own.
batang buotan says:
Thank you.
Yes, I agree that clerics must instead pacify the situation than by murmuring something that can flare out radical moves and violence. Let us not see CBCP’s position as victory of Malacañang and the people in the palace must be merry. The clerics through CBCP has just done what is right as responsible Christians.
May God bless this nation.
if the trapos would continue leading the rallies against pgma its just like saying we want to replace gloria with another gloria-wannabe. i dont want noli de castro to replace her because it would be daja vu in the nastiest sense. nor would i want nograles. how about puno? i dont know if hes a pgma puppet but id rather have him than anyone else whos legally capable of replacing gloria the moment she gets the boot.
batang buotan says:
Thank you.
I also doubt Vice President de Castro CAN lead this country well. However, under our constitution, de Castro is GMA’s successor when and IF she resigns. I doubt GMA will resign thus having de Castro is a remote possibility. I stand that rally or protest action may not help this time. However, I call for everyone to be vigilant. Being vigilant does not always equate to being radical. Let us calm down and learn to listen.
And being radical does not always equate with joining a rally.
batang buotan says:
Thank you. Yes, I agree.