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By Efren L. Danao, Senior Reporter
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Sen. Francis
Escudero said Monday that the so-called new destabilization move by
soldiers is an “old” tune meant to divert public attention away
from the alleged anomalies besetting the Arroyo administration.
At the Palace, Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said
the public would not support new destabilization moves against the
government because they don’t want a new “people power”
revolt.
Pimentel said the matter could also be related
to the proposal to increase the intelligence fund of the Office of
the President, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the
Philippine National Police.
“But we are not going to allow them
[government] to get away with that. That’s why we will scrutinize
all appropriations for all departments to find out the basis for
additional intelligence fund,” he said.
Escudero said the destabilization tale could be
the administration’s official entry to the Metro Manila Film
Festival.
“It’s the oldest trick in the book. If you
are being criticized, create a diversion, invent tales so that you
become the aggrieved party and people will start sympathizing with
you,” he said.
A group called Sundalong Tagapagtanggol ng
Pilipino had posted a manifesto against the Arroyo administration on
the Internet. Escudero doubted the authenticity of the group but he
was certain the administration would try to milk the statement of
the group “to the last drop to draw attention away from the many
scams it [Arroyo administration] had pulled off.”
He noted that the statements of the five
prominent Catholic bishops who earlier called for radical reforms in
government are even stronger and more direct to the point than the
manifesto of the supposed group of soldiers.
“Is this group as real as Santa Claus? Is this
the latest to come out of the Palace disinformation factory?” he
asked.
Palace not bothered
Talks about fresh destabilization plot against
President Gloria Arroyo resurfaced after she attended a midnight
mass last week.
The group of disgruntled soldiers are advocating
the creation of a new democratic nation by “sweeping out” the
“corrupt and murderous” Arroyo administration. The group also
echoed the calls of five bishops critical of the administration.
However, Dureza said that there’s no
destabilization and it is just “in the minds of critics more than
in general populace.”
“The call for [the] President’s resignation
is normal for government critics. Lets’ just leave it to them
[suspected plotters], their right to air their views. The people are
not supporting short cuts, they don’t want another people power
because it’s not stabilizing our country,” he said.
He added that if the group calling for a
revolution is really capable of toppling the government, it should
have done that before.
The soldiers said in a statement that they would
act on their constitutional obligation “to oust a usurper who has
violated the sovereign will of the people . . . And to do so, we
will first sweep out this corrupt and murderous administration. The
time to do it is now."
-- With Angelo S. Samonte
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