Cory Aquino, dressed in white, addressed the DLSU community and the public in reaction to the CBCP statement,
But first, she had some extemporaneous remarks concerning the homily, in which the DLSU decision to call for resignation was not only explained, but reaffirmed.
One of my granddaughters asked… why does Lola have to say something every time… I have no choice… Since Ninoy put his life on the line… I have had to put myself on the line too…. The Christian Brothers are risk takers… I’m sure they went through a lot of discernment… The members of the cabinet that resigned also went through a lot of prayers and discernment… they could have just kept quiet… but they believed their duty was to us, the Filipino people… and even now, they’re taking so much flack… but they’re also receiving their country’s gratitude.. we need more Filipinos like them… From time immemorial I have not said anything that would achieve universal acceptance… So long as I say what I believe… then I would accept… the flack… I know Ninoy is up there praying for me… Cardinal Sin is praying for me… People should open their hearts and minds to truly share what they believe is good for our country… We cannot say it’s up to whoever… This is our country… it’s up to us…
Then her prepared statement:
…Indeed this is a very swift response to our bishops… who have called for… all to come and pray together…. people of different convictions should come together and dialogue… DLSU has provided me with a venue… for a continuing program… of dialogue… to help resolve this crisis… We pray for the President and Vice-President… Let me quote the bishops… who say… there is no one solution….
Cory then focuses on the bishops saying appealing for resignation and impeachment are not contrary to the Gospel. Cory reiterated only two paths available:
First and most expeditious is the President’s resignation… a swift return to normalcy…. Second path is long and inherently contentious process of impeachment… I ask the President to spare the country and herself to spare the country… Make the supreme sacrifice…. I ask your generous hearts…. to keep involved in Gawad Kalinga and microfinance… Let us continue praying for our country….
She’s going to go on fighting.
i wonder, what could have motivated cca to stick to her presidency then when the coup attemps attempting to overthrow her presidency were a dime a dozen?
could this same motivation be the reason behind gma’s resistance now?
at first i was ambivalent myself about cory’s call for gma to resign. then the call to go to edsa. it seemed like she was rushing things when there’s still the (for me) 2nd to the last resort: impeachment.
but now that i’ve read the cbcp’s stand, their intent to educate ppl on the *real* issues vs. the hype, cory’s latest statement, the former secretaries’, etc. i’m beginning to think that impeachment or no, gma won’t be able to hold her ground much longer. cory’s merely offering her the easiest way out.
071105
This is welcome news. Cory’s continued involvement means that moral suasion would continue to be the mode of demanding resignation for some time and the growing temptation to use coercive means is held back once more. I’m glad she read the CBCP statement correctly and that she judged that her position and theirs do not necessarily contradict each other. I’m no fan of Cory or the clergy but this is one of the few times that I believe their pieties are put to good use.
I applaud Cory Aquino. It would be so easy for her to stay out of the fray but she has chosen not to in the interest of the Country. . . Cory knows by asking GMA to step down she is doing what is right which is more than I can say for those who continue to cling to power.
I don’t think Gloria Arroyo’s resignation would solve our political problem and return us to normalcy. It would be naive to think thaT the opposition would stop their attacks when Noli de Castro takes over.
It is the political system that we should change. Not another president. Have we already proven that Arroyo committed anything illegal? Why crucify a person based on mere speculation? Is that what we call justice? Is that what Cory has discerned?
Either way lavinia, it does not mean that knowing the consequences justifies inaction. The appeal is not about legality or illegality anymore. To wait for proof beyond reasonable doubt means going the length of impeachment. Cory’s appeal is to avoid that long, hard road. Not even speculation or truth; there is no need to judge at the moment or work on non-facts. However, it is a political reality that should GMA resign the country is spared the divisiveness that had always been there since GMA said in Dec 2003 that she will no longer run “because she causes divisiveness” in this country.
Should the Opposition continue their tirade (as expected) in a Noli presidency, the constitutionalists (which comprise the greater number in this country) will edge them out. Hence it’s not as grim as you predict I suppose. This is a democracy hence that is a given.
Cory is much too nice to say it. But to call for resignation is to believe that the president has committed very grave crimes.
She’s just saving face for Gloria.
Cory’s got a lot of nerve telling GMA to leave the presidency. It’s still unproven if she’s guilty. Didn’t they hurl the same unproven accusations to his husband-that he was a communist and a plotter of the Miranda bombings?
And Cory wasn’t half the president Gloria is. Gloria’s doing a good job fixing the fiscal crisis. Cory (together with “big borrower†Ramos) is the CAUSE of the fiscal crisis. She had the chance to nullify the Marcos debts. But no, she just had to “honor†those debts, and now it’s sinking our economy.
Tita Cory is just too good to ignore.
UNLIKE gloria who, most [or ALL?]of the time do not exhibit she possesses a heart,
Tita Cory IS ALL HEART: CORAZON.
REPEATED CALLS from all sectors,including those from CCA has been made. The next move will have to be from Malacanang.
So then, what shall it be, huh, gloria?
The four past presidents before Gloria are fiscal nightmares for this country. Marcos borrowed around $25 Billion that amounted to nothing. Cory had a chance to erase those debts but didn’t. Ramos exacerbated those debts with more borrowing and the disadvantageous IPP contracts. Erap bled the coffers with his military operations against the MILF and MNLF.
Now we have a half decent president whose cleaning up their mess and people want to take her out!
you have to be pretty dense to believe GMA was engaged in an innocent conversation/s.
I do not think Cory was a better president than Glora…Maybe the times were different but between the two of them I would choose Gloria anytime. Cory is perceived by many in this country as the moral voice, the conscience…I have personal experience that she can be as shallow as the next person…but that is another story. DO not judge Gloria, lest you be judged yourself…that I believe is the moral, objective and fair thing to do for the people. Where are all these political opinions coming from? From people who think they know what is best for the country based on their opwn conditioning, perception and set ideas. For us here in the countryside, it is business as usual. Media, Politicos, Civil Society are all talking about who the players are…of why GMA is still there…it seems to me that THE PEOPLE had been forgotten…These so called experts have stopped looking beyond Metro-Manila. EDSA 1 and @ succeeded because of THE PEOPLE…there is not going to be an EDSA 3 because THE PEOPLE do not supoport it…regardless of what the surveys say…there is no movement in the provinces, change in personalities is not the answer… but it is change of heart, minds, selves…a moral recovery. These I hope will happen…Gloria should learn from the events of the past few weeks…learn to listen…to finally have a political will and to implement much needed reforms in all aspects of government, to mobilize the people for the future of our beloved country. I do not believe that she has lost the ability to lead and govern…I and majority of the Filipino people, are willing to give her another chance, albeit a last chance.
Late breaking news is the Papal Nuncio spanked the bishops for too much interference in politics….ironic, wouldn’t you say?
GMA is a probable cheater and liar. and that is half decent?
Is it just me or am I sensing a palace-orchestrated invasion of the blogsites.
I have just seen a near identical post from pcij.org.
But maybe I am just being paranoid. No?
james,
i agree, seems like it…..
Lavinia: I don’t think Gloria Arroyo’s resignation would solve our political problem and return us to normalcy.
Lavinia: “I don’t think Gloria Arroyo’s resignation would solve our political problem and return us to normalcy.”
Lavinia: – And you think that by preserving GMA in power would solve our political problem and bring us back to normalcy? Think again. Lest we forget, the center of all these fracass is GMA’s credibility and accountability to the people. What are unfolding now are no longer products of a destabilization fairytale but of scandals involving GMA and her family one after another. Remember It was not the opposition who exposed the Garci tapes – it was Bunyi. It was not even the opposition who exposed the Arroyo Family’s involvement in jueteng – it was Bishop Cruz. The Filipino people was just best guessing that it was GMA’s voice on the tape – it was GMA herself who admitted it. Lets not look into the events as though GMA is the victim – she’s the culprit.
James: “Is it just me or am I sensing a palace-orchestrated invasion of the blogsites. I have just seen a near identical post from pcij.org.”
james.
we noticed the invasion too, since saturday pa nga.
but as a senior reporter here said: predictable ploy.
inasahan na yan.
actually naimbestigahan na ng senior reporter ng palasyo yan…techie din siya.
IPs, sites, etc…
bukong buko niya.
Manolo, pardon the successive entries. But everytime I post a comment it got truncated.Why’s this??
James: “Is it just me or am I sensing a palace-orchestrated invasion of the blogsites. I have just seen a near identical post from pcij.org.”
James, all the commenters have no links too. I wonder if they are from the same IP :-) In all fairness, perhaps they really genuinely believe GMA is doing a good job with the economy.
Here’s a good economic plan that will give everybody jobs and fast-track development: Make the whole nation (or select cities) tax-free, duty free, for all big companies with employees 50 or more. No income tax.
More money to spend will increase domestic aggregate consumption and thus production. Keynesian. Unless my theory is wrong. Hey, it’s happening in Dubai. Why not do the same here. She’s an economist. She should know this.
No income tax…. great idea 🙂
Wow, your blog is getting hotter, Manolo. No comment na lang ako because of my father’s association with the first Macapagal. At least, I did not vote for her.
Anyway, I almost fell off my seat thinking you were talking about your granddaughter. 🙂
What the public likes to know and Mrs Aquino should clearly say so is who advised her to take this “GMA please resign” stand. And please she should not publicly invoke the prayers of those who recently passed away. (After all Cardinal Jaime Sin hasn’t been canonized and many people will contest that the late cardinal has lived a completely saintly existence as John Fisher did, who lost his head to Henry VIII’s axeman.).Mrs Arroyo is unlikely to stand down. Now that Mr Fidel V Ramos has literally saved Mrs Arroyo’s presidency, the chances of her resigning is nil. Mr Ramos has emerged as the de facto prime minister or better yet President Protector. Doesn’t this sound like Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell seizing the Crown but not wearing it?
Our own Ollie Cromwell should say to Mrs Aquino and her kind to at least shut up and respect the rule of law. Mrs Aquino by demanding Mrs Arroyo’s resignation as in the words of Thomas More himself, cutting down every law that holds our Republic like trees by the wayside. In our case the Constitution she herself has planted. Does Mrs Aquino realize the that the Devil will have no place to hide? Is she prepared for the chaos that will ensue? At least Thomas More wisely realized that prayers alone cannot govern a nation. More gave the Devil the benefit of law for his safety’s sake.
I write in allusion but the moral here is that if we disregard the rule of law and this is because of our bad conscience, we lead our country on a short route to chaos. If we want Mrs Arroyo out, let her be impeached as what the law requires.
Cromwell went to Parliament took the key and locked the door. As Parliament was ruled by bickering and corrupt MPs, before he locked the door, Cromwell spoke his piece. “In the name of God, go!”
The same can be said for Mrs Aquino and those who call for the President’s resignation.
frankly, i cannot figure out how we can wiggle out of this mess. there are just too much at stake if we take one or the other option. either way offers no particular direction only cloud and dark storm in the horizon.
But it is refreshing to read the column of Fr. Joaquin Bernas today of the Inquirer. I think that the solution must be strong AND POPULAR enough to bring about the change thAT we want. So i am joining the RESIGN GLORIA MOVEMENT NOW!
Blog invasion a posibility or much worse ignorance about the current affairs but thought they have the every right to post something worthwile. I see someone defending gloria here. I sadden that even tho they believe in that woman they don’t see the light. or maybe they are just trying to say to us what they really feel.
here’s a truth about Arroyo
She is the most power hungry individual i have seen in my whole life
Manolo said She is willing to break some skulls tyo stay in Power
She had 3 years to clean up the government but it is still dirty and shitty
She kept on changing her mind. about not running for 2nd term and such.
A MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE DOESNT TRUST HER ANYMORE.
Her allies are jumping ship.
She had more damaging accusations that Erap
She still cling to power like a real sucker.
so why does she still live in malacanang?
Because wala na talaga syang delikadesa…
Do you still want to let her continue her term?
Hey I’m not a working for Malacanang. I’m just an ordinary Juan dela Cruz who doesn’t forget! People who keep going on and on about the MORAL vale of this Cory Aquino should remember that Cory too is a liar and a snake. Didn’t she promise a genuine land reform when she took over the presidency?
She like to her teeth just to save her family’s Hacienda Luisita by converting it to a corporation. And let us not forget those farmers that were shot in Mendiola Bridge during her tenure.
I think people are easily forgetting and being fooled by the rosary praying image of Cory.
Both Cory and GMA are liars. But at least GMA is a capable liar. Cory couldn’t even fix the power crisis in her tenure. At least GMA is doing a good job patching up the fiscal crisis. And let us not forget GMA’s flagship project of reviving the Philippine Luzon Railway.
Like people would have liked FPJ to have been president anyway. And didn’t FPJ die anyway?
why did the fiscal crisis happened anyway? maybe because of Gloria usage of public funds last election? yes its true SHE USED PUBLIC FUNDS FOR HER BID. She is worse than Erap, alittle bit below marcos and can be comparable to aguinaldo for greed and hunger for power.
I liked to think she is not in control of the government right now. She have with her side te real decision maker. FVR. Maybe Im a little bit paranoid but I see some indications that the dude with cigar is running the show.
Most of our $60 Billion debt were incurred by Marcos, Cory and Ramos.
This debt would have been manageable had we a bigger middle class to pay taxes and support debt repayment, but no, most of our people are agricultural and urban poor who don’t pay taxes. And guess who had the chance to lift the agricultural poor from their poverty through genuine land reform? Cory Aquino.
So now the little middle class that this country has has to bear the brunt of paying the debt through higher taxes.
And if we don’t pay it this country’s going to have a financial meltdown. And GMA is just trying to prevent that through her E-VAT.
^ nakow, mas maniniwala ako sa analysis nina Walden Bello at ng PCIJ pagdating sa kung sino ang may pinakamatinding contribution sa paglaki ng ating foreign debt.
Drilon just came out with a statement that
the ‘flagship’ project is wildly overpriced.
Don’t know the details yet. just saw it on the news. But knowing that JDV was pushing it….
Anyway, since the mudslinging is about to start. Everybody just duck. 🙂
angst boy
buti inamin mo liar si gma.
and a very capable liar pa.
you are good, man.
are you sure you are not with malacanang?
If FVR wants to be restored in Power He should at least promise us that He will DO WHAT HE DID when he was still the president. Man Lets all admit FVR did something to the economy. Nasira lang dahil sa ambisyong 2nd term. ambisyo kasi ammmp. If he can do that and like put it on paper that if ever 6 million of legal age people wants him out of the office he will go no question asks. I benefited when he became a president not because Im ilocano or what ever it is because he facilitated the emergence of the internet here in the philippines. If he can do that Ill follow whatever crap he is saying.
About the foreign debt. Cory should be blame for it. She should hae defaulted the debts incurred but didint. Nagsimula sa kanya ang problema hindi kay marcos. Marcos maybe knwe someday he will be out of the office and his debts incurred will be defaulted maybe. thats a thought we didint bothered to ask.
wala lang talaga akong magawa nagsasayng lang po ng utak (kung meron nga ako nun )
Manolo, hi ask ko lang, magkano nga ang inabot ng macapagal highway? thanks
Felix,
hehhehe diyan matatapos ang usapan.
felix,
thanks to the magic of the internet and google. since I was curious myself.
total cost 1.1 billion
700 million overprice estimated.
5.1 kilometers distance
old name:
Central Boulevard
new name:
Diosdado Macapagal Blvd
name by wiseguys:
Dioskopo Napakamahal Blvd
new new name:
Central Boulevard
The last name was also requested by GMA not
wanting to link the father’s name to a
scandal. GMA ignored the law that names
cannot be changed before 10 years have passed.
(source: plunderwatch formerly erap resign movement and Emma Dumapay, tribune )
i have a question? what’s with fvr and changing the constitution sinubukan na nya yan nung sya pa ang nakaupo.
Angstboy, sabi mo, “And if we don’t pay it this country’s going to have a financial meltdown. And GMA is just trying to prevent that through her E-VAT. ”
SAAN NAMAN KAYA MAPUPUNTA ANG NAKOLEKTANG E-VAT? Sa over priced Government projects?
I read through the CBCP Statement several times, and am still at a lost. What is REALLY the MORAL BASIS of the Bishops stand that “…we do not demand her (PGMA)resignation.”?
They based their position on the premise that “..no SINGLE concrete option regarding PGMA can claim TO BE THE ONLY ONE demanded by the Gospel.” They further added that they recognize that
1. non-violent appeals for resignationis not against the Gospel
2. demand for a truth commission is not against the Gospel
the filinbg of an impeachment case is not against the Gospel.
If all three options ARE NOT against the Gospel, why did they chose the decision NOT TO DEMAND HER RESIGNATION? Is this decision according to the GOSPEL? Tell, me please. Or Probably, dear Manuel, you can ask the Bishops for me.
Thanks. You really write and speak very well.
rod, basically the letter played safe. it means they can speak out for resignation, but things were too heated at the time, i guess. thanks for your comments.