Church group calls for President Noynoy Aquino’s resignation for the Chief Executive’s loss of moral ascendancy as the leader of the nation.
The group called “National Transformation Council,” led by Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal of Cebu, said that “Aquino has subverted and violated the Constitution by corrupting congress, intimidating the Judiciary, taking over the Treasury, manipulating the automated voting system, and perverting the constitutional impeachment process.”
[quote_center]”Aquino has subverted and violated the Constitution by corrupting congress, intimidating the Judiciary, taking over the Treasury, manipulating the automated voting system, and perverting the constitutional impeachment process”[/quote_center]
However, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said that while they do not agree with the opinion of the group, they are free to express their sentiments.
“We obviously differ from their assessment. We go about in conducting the business of governance. We live in a pluralistic society,” Lacierda said.
The group, also composed of private citizens, wants to file criminal charges against all lawmakers involved in the unresolved issues of pork barrel scandal and the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).
A closer look on the list of projects funded by DAP reveals that P29.9 billion worth of projects may not even have existed for there are no records of the actual output.
PNoy’s bosses want to end his term
Meanwhile, a recently conducted survey by the Pulse Asia revealed that six out of ten Filipinos (or 62%) want to end President Aquino’s term by 2016.
The “Ulat ng Bayan” survey, conducted from September 8 to 15, also exposed that about the same percentage of respondents are not in favor of amending the Constitution at present. While a bigger fraction of 70% rejects PNoy’s attempt to clip the powers of the Supreme Court.
Pulse Asia asked 1,200 adults nationwide across socio-economic classes and geographic areas to participate in the survey. The survey showed that opposition is more apparent to those coming from Luzon and National Capital Region, with 71% and 67% respectively, than from Visayas and Mindanao with 50% and 52%.
The Malacanan, on the other hand, said that they are not surprised by the results of the survey. President Aquino once said that he will do what his “bosses” desire, whether for him to run for another term or not. However, the Palace said that public opinion surveys are just one tool to feel the pulse of the people, thus the president would continue to assess the people’s sentiments.
“The President continues to listen to citizen’s expressions of their desires on the purpose of strengthening reforms and completing the transformation of society,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said.
On Tuesday, the group Movement for Reform, Continuity and Momentum (More2Come) released a full-page newspaper advertisement claiming PNoy as the “still the best and only successor” and calling for the Congress to amend the Constitution to allow a term extension for the President.
Atty. Melvin Matibag, the lead convener of the group, said that they will conduct a campaign to gather 8 million signatures, with a target of 2 million in Metro Manila by November 30, to urge the President to run for a second term.
The Palace, however, distanced itself from the group and said that they have nothing to do with the advertisement.
Co-convenor RJ Echiveri said that the group is composed of private individuals mostly lawyers. RJ Echiveri once ran under the President’s party during the 2013 elections for the mayoralty post in Caloocan City. However, he lost.
No clamor for PNOY 2016
Progressive group BAYAN (Bagong Alyansang Makabayan) however said that the recently conducted survey just only shows that there is no clamor of the people for PNoy to go beyond the end of his term on 2016.
[quote_center]”The recent Pulse Asia survey shows that the public resoundingly rejects Charter change, both the self-serving political agenda, and the foreign-dictated economic agenda”- BAYAN[/quote_center]
“The clamor only exists in Aquino’s imagination and perhaps during meetings with his Cabinet… The recent Pulse Asia survey shows that the public resoundingly rejects Charter change, both the self-serving political agenda, and the foreign-dictated economic agenda,” the group said in a statement.
On the issue of the full page ad, BAYAN secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said that it is a “desperate attempt to proclaim the non-existent achievements of Aquino at a time when corruption scandals are hounding his government.”
He added that instead of a second term, PNoy should be made accountable.
