PoliticalArena.com

Charging President Gloria Arroyo with supposed lack of delicadeza (sense of propriety) for running for Congress despite being the head of State, six presidential aspirants vowed that they would not let her

get away with alleged corruption and fraud when one of them was chosen to succeed her through the 2010 elections.

Facing each other for the first time since the filing of their certificates of candidacy (COC) during a forum at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Senators Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd and Richard Gordon, environmentalist Nicanor Perlas, preacher Bro. Eddie Villanueva, Olongapo City (Zambales) Councilor John Carlos de los Reyes and former President Joseph Estrada on Wednesday criticized President Arroyo for her unprecedented move of seeking a seat in the House of Representatives by running in the second district of her home province Pampanga in next year’s polls.

Former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, the chairman of the ruling party Lakas-Kampi Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) and the party’s standard-bearer in the 2010 balloting, did not comment on the President’s political plans, but said that he “would do the right thing” as president in response to a question on whether Mrs. Arroyo as House Speaker would have a negative effect on his administration.

Teodoro later reiterated to The Manila Times on Thursday what he had told the university forum that he “would not be dictated upon” and “would do the right thing” as president of the Philippines.

“It is the job of the president to lead. The president has two jobs—to head the executive department with integrity and transparency, and to execute the laws without fear or favor,” he had said during the “Harapan” forum telecast live over ANC television from the university’s Faculty of Medicine Auditorium.

Party loyalty

Teodoro had also told the forum that his plan to bring progress to the country is not hindered by his loyalty to the party or to anyone.

The Times also on Thursday asked him if he would ever distance himself from the President since she continues to have negative survey ratings. The former Defense chief replied essentially as he did during the Wednesday night forum, “I think its un-Filipino to turn your back to a person who gave a 43-year-old person a break and who did not interfere in doing his job which resulted in the cleanest and one of the most transparent administrations in the Department of National Defense.” He was referring to Mrs. Arroyo recruiting him in 2006 to be her Defense secretary.

“For me now to say that I will turn my back to and bite the person who gave me a break will be the height of ingratitude. But this is not to say that I can be dictated upon,” Teodoro said.

He and the six other presidential candidates took turns answering questions on current issues ranging from the Maguindanao massacre and the first 100 days of the presidency to the President’s decision to seek a seat in Congress and perhaps bid to capture the Speakership of the House of Representatives.

When asked what the effects would be of Mrs. Arroyo winning a congressional seat under Lakas-Kampi CMD, Teodoro explained that as party chairman and as president, he would expect no less than the support and cooperation of all lawmakers under his party including the President once she becomes a member of Congress.

“A congressman of the party would follow the goals and platform that were set by the party which I lead,” he said.

“The legislature’s job is to make laws responsive to the needs of the people,” added Harvard-trained Teodoro, the 1989 Bar topnotcher.

Mrs. Arroyo running for Congress was a “non-issue to the business community,” the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry said in a statement also on Thursday.

The chamber added that it was “more concerned and focused on maintaining a conducive and competitive investment climate that allows the private sector to function as effective engines of economic development.”

It called the President’s decision “a personal choice contained within the bounds of the country’s democratic exercise.”

The chamber said that any legal challenges to the decision should be made with proper representation at the proper forum.

The university forum, held a day after the deadline for the filing of certificates of candidacy, was a joint project of two newspapers, the University of Santo Tomas and the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting.

Harapan is part of a series of election-related forums and debates held by ABS-CBN in the run-up to the 2010 elections.

On the peace and order situation, Teodoro said that the country faces a question of logistics on how to fund more police presence. Roughly 150,000 policemen are deployed throughout the country for a population of 90 million.

“There is no deterrence because there is little police visibility,” he added.

The “peace and order problem is logistical,” Teodoro said. “The first phase of addressing the problem should be the allocation of proper amount of resources.”

Teodoro stressed that it is easy to conjure up solutions and promises, but said “it is easier said than done.”
“Where do we get funding for that when we allot only 0.6 percent of our GDP [Gross Domestic Product] for law enforcement,” he noted while asserting that crime is best addressed through “prevention and police visibility.”

GDP is the total value of goods and services produced in a country in a year.

Teodoro earlier said that stricter implementation of the laws on firearms possession and ownership would curb incidents such as the Maguindanao murders on November 23 as he advocated the suspension of civilian permits to bear firearms in election “hot spots” throughout the country.

Aquino said that here is no “great danger” if ever Mrs. Arroyo would be part of the House of Representatives with him as president, because she “had [shown how to use] her power to advance her cause.”

Danger happens

“The danger happens if somehow, only congressmen are elected and there is no Senate that is constituted and there is no vice president and [there is] no president. If that is the scenario, I will pledge in front of everyone today that I will again stand up and I will oppose any measure that they will deem fit to try to extend their powers beyond what is embodied in our Constitution. That I pledge my whole being to,” he told the university forum.

Majority of the incumbent congressmen are members of Lakas-Kampi CMD. Kampi, or Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino, was founded and formerly headed by the President.

Estrada also reiterated that he could still run for the presidency for the second time and that Mrs. Arroyo was the one banned from seeking another elective post, citing the constitutional ban on reelection of a president.

Various interpretations of Article VII, Section 4 of the Constitution floated after Estrada and the President expressed their intentions to run for public office despite having served as presidents already.

“Out of delicadeza, she [Mrs. Arroyo] should give due respect to the Office of the President. That [running for Congress] is very demeaning,” Estrada said.

Perlas said that it was a “huge shame” for Mrs. Arroyo to run for Congress.

“[But if ever I will be elected], [I will pursue to] the greatest extent possible allowed by the law” the alleged wrongdoing by the President, he added.

Perlas said that having the President as Speaker of the House during his term would be an opportunity to show the difference between “old and new politics.”

Villanueva said that he would install a good judiciary that would enforce the law to the fullest.

According to him, Mrs. Arroyo would never make it as House Speaker.

Gordon said that the President’s provincemates would be the ones to decide on her fate, adding rather vaguely that if ever she became part of Congress during his administration, he “would move forward.”

A known supporter of Charter change, or “Cha-cha,” he added that he would not allow alterations in the 1986 Constitution if Mrs. Arroyo succeeded in her bid.

De los Reyes said that he would not permit any personal agenda to taint his administration.

Mrs. Arroyo filed her COC on Monday with the Commission on Elections office in San Fernando Pampanga, ending months of speculations about her political plans beyond her term. Her move met with criticisms from the opposition and the Roman Catholic Church.

In running for the post in Pampanga’s second district now held by her son, Juan Miguel Arroyo, the President said that she was not yet ready to leave public service.

“So I have decided to respond affirmatively to your call,” Mrs. Arroyo said on Monday to acrowd gathered outside a church in Lubao, her hometown, where she first heard Mass before filing her candidacy.

Malacañang had said that there is a clamor for the President to run in her province.

Political dynasties

On political dynasties, Liberal Party bet Aquino said that the term “political dynasty” should be defined first.
Villanueva of Bangon Pilipinas Party said that he would exercise “moral and righteous” governance and would not allow relatives to abuse power.

Gordon, uncle of de los Reyes, said hat the problem is not with persons who have the same surnames but with the supposedly immature electorate and rotten party-list system.

Teodoro, whose wife Monica Teodoro is a member of Congress representing Tarlac, agreed, saying that the first way to kill political dynasties is by fielding a good candidate during elections.

The candidates also vowed to run after perpetuators of the Maguin-danao massacre, which saw the death of over 60 people. Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. of Datu Unsay town and member of the Ampatuan clan governing Maguindanao and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is the primary suspect in the incident.

The University of Santo Tomas forum was attended by over 800 people, mostly students. Present in the audience were Rep. Monica Teodoro; Ernesto Maceda, Partido ng Masang Pilipino spokesman; and Bayani Fernando, Gordon’s running mate. Sen. Manuel Villar Jr., who was also supposed to be in the forum, backed out at the last minute, according to host Ted Failon.

BY PRINZ P. MAGTULIS CORRESPONDENT
The Manila Times
Friday, 04 December 2009 00:00