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By Jason Gutierrez, Agence France-Presse
MANILA: Embattled Philippine President Gloria
Arroyo’s hopes of clinging onto power have been given a boost,
analysts said, after the influential Roman Catholic Church decided
not to back mounting calls for her to go.
While many were expecting the Church, considered
the moral voice of the Philippines, to call for Arroyo’s
resignation, it has instead condemned the “continuing culture of
corruption” in government.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP) met Tuesday to hammer out a united stance on the
latest accusations of corruption levelled at the 60-year-old Arroyo.
Stopping short of adding its considerable weight
to calls for her to quit is a major boon to Arroyo because the
Church has played a major part in the removal of past leaders.
Under the late Cardinal Jaime Sin’s leadership
the Church spoke out against the excesses of dictator Ferdinand
Marcos and led the so-called People Power demonstrations which
eventually saw his downfall in 1986.
Sin was also one of the key players in the
removal of then-President Joseph Estrada in 2001.
But analysts say the Church’s announcement
should not be mistaken for being in any way a sign of support for
Arroyo.
“I would not say that the CBCP statement was a
victory for Arroyo,” said Ramon Casiple, executive director of the
Institute for Political and Economic Reform (IPER), a local
think-tank.
“It has given her some time to think things
over and of course much-needed breathing space. But I don’t think
it has made her nights more peaceful,” he said.
Casiple said the statement reflected Arroyo’s
political shrewdness, having endeared herself to a faction within
the CBCP that some insiders now brand as “the Malacañang
(presidential palace) diocese.”
Church analysts say that with the death of Sin
three years ago the Church has been without a unifying voice.
The latest allegations of corruption to hit
Arroyo involve accusations her husband and a close political ally
tried to get millions in kickbacks from an aborted national Internet
broadband deal with Chinese firm ZTE Corp.
The presidential palace has repeatedly denied
the allegations and has stopped government officials involved in the
deal from appearing before a Senate inquiry.
Rommel Balaoi, a political analyst with close
links to the defense establishment, said the CBCP statement would
“cool down anti-Arroyo rallies on the streets.
“The CBCP and the Church is an important
political factor, a barometer,” Balaoi said.
“The President now has to show more
transparency and accountability in governance,” he added,
stressing that failing to do so would in the long run lead to fresh
grumblings from the influential armed forces.
IPER’s Casiple noted Arroyo has retained broad
support from military generals, but the shaky alliance could crumble
any time.
“I don’t think there is real loyalty there.
The reason why no one among the ranks is moving against her is
because soldiers follow the chain of command, but that can change
over night,” he said.
Ben Lim, of the Ateneo de Manila University,
believes that elements of a successful popular revolt remain absent,
including a “unifying replacement and a viable president.”
“While it is true that people power can remove
a president, it is no guarantee they can replace her with a better
one,” he warned.
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