SEN. Panfilo Lacson yesterday said President Fidel Ramos is
now running the government and President Arroyo has been reduced to a
figurehead.
The allegation was quickly denied by Ramos in an airport
interview before leaving for Thailand to speak before the International
Association of University Presidents.
"If I am sharing power, why am I going to Bangkok?" he
said.
THE Catholic Bishops Conference of
the Philippines yesterday rejected calls for President
Arroyo to step down, handing the embattled president a
major reprieve after weeks of turmoil.
"We declare our collective decision
that we won’t demand her resignation," Davao Archbishop
Fernando Capalla, outgoing CBCP president, said reading
from a statement.
The CBCP said the clergy’s role was
to provide moral guidance in confusing times and not be
"politicians with a blueprint."
FORMER Defense Secretary Fortunato Abat yesterday called
on the Armed Forces leadership to withdraw support from President Arroyo,
whom he described as dishonorable.
Abat said the AFP’s neutral stand has been overtaken by
snowballing calls for Gloria’s resignation.
Abat told AFP chief Gen. Efren Abu that withdrawing
support from the President is the right thing to do because the military
establishment has the duty to protect the people under the Constitution.
Partly cloudy to cloudy with rainshowers and
thunderstorm.
Rest of the country:
Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao mostly cloudy with
scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms; elsewhere, partly
cloudy to cloudy with rainshowers and thunderstorms.
Temperature extremes:
Today, 24-33 degrees Celsius;
yesterday, 24.5 at 5:00 a.m.; 33.0 at 1:45 p.m.
