Palace laughs off June 30 movement

Malacañang downplayed a new civil society movement formed to ensure that President Arroyo steps down at the end of her term. The Palace also laughed off claims that Arroyo will resort to martial law or declare a failure of elections to justify staying in power. “Dapat siguro sila tanungin natin kung bakit kailangan may ganyang movement. Alam nila under our Constitution the term of the president ends June 30, 2010. Alam nila na a political exercise is for the purpose to elect a new president. Hindi ko alam ano ang purpose nito, it could be political, it could be black propaganda (The organizers should ask themselves if they are still necessary. They know that under our Constitution, the term of the president ends June 30, 2010. They know the upcoming political exercise is for the purpose of electing a new president. I don’t know what their purpose is. It could be political, it could be black propaganda)," Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in an interview on dzXL radio. Movement members Civil society and militant groups on Wednesday formed the June 30 Movement to make sure Mrs. Arroyo steps down at noon of June 30, the constitutional end of her term. The group’s members include NBN-ZTE witness Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr.; Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines' Sr. Mary John Mananzan; the National Council of Churches of the Philippines; the Promotion of Church People’s Response; Pagbabago People’s Movement for Change; Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan); the Confederation for the Unity, Respect and Advancement of Government Employees (Courage); and Gabriela. Members of the movement assembled at the entrance gates of De La Salle Greenhills before noon on Wednesday, the ninth anniversary of the EDSA-2 revolt that catapulted Mrs. Arroyo to the presidency in 2001. From there, they marched and converged near the EDSA Shrine, with placards bearing messages such as “No to Gloria Forever" and “End Gloria’s Tyranny." “Imagination and speculation" Bello scored the group for spreading its “imagination or speculation" that Mrs. Arroyo will try to remain in power. “Di ko alam paano nagkaroon ng imagination or speculation ang ibang sector riyan na patuloy na nilalason ang isipan ng mga mamamayan. That is bad, dapat tayo magkaisa magtulung-tulungan para magkaroon ng malaya at malinis na halalan (I don’t know how this group could spread such speculation and imagination to poison the minds of the people. That is bad. We should be uniting and helping each other to work for free and clean elections)," he said. Call to vigilance Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. warned Mrs. Arroyo that she might step out of office the same way she came in nine years ago if she tries to cling to power. “In the past, Arroyo has made it a national policy to violently suppress any possible people power movement to make her regime accountable. She will however be making a gross underestimation of the people when she attempts to stay in power longer than she should," Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said in an article on the Bayan website. “Malacañang should not be too confident of its chances of scuttling the elections and keeping Arroyo in power. Arroyo may have lasted for nine years and overcome massive protest actions but it appears that the people will draw the line at her staying in power beyond 2010," he added. SWS survey on people power Reyes cited a nationwide Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted from October 24 to 27, 2009, and released on January 14 showing that half (49%) of all respondents “sense that people power will happen if the 2010 elections fail." Also according to the survey, 58% of those surveyed in Luzon —over half of whom (54%) are in Metro Manila— expect people power or massive street protests in case of election failure. Forty percent of those surveyed in Mindanao share the same view, whereas the Visayas region drew mixed opinions with 38% agree, 33% neither agree nor disagree, and 25% disagree. “EDSA 2 is relevant insofar as it teaches us that changing the president is never enough. Fundamental changes are necessary at all levels of society. The lessons of EDSA 2 should be relevant even for the coming elections," Reyes added. Bello assured, however, that “the president has already stated very categorically her term ends June 30, 2010." - Nikka Corsino/TJD, GMANews.TV