3 bishops set ‘GMA resign’ rally today

Catholic bishops who have been critical of President Arroyo will lead a prayer rally at Plaza Miranda in Quiapo, Manila today, Bonifacio Day, to reiterate calls for her resignation over unresolved political issues hounding her administration.

Novaliches Bishop Antonio Tobias, Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iniguez Jr. and Infanta, Quezon Bishop Emeritus Julio Labayen – spiritual leaders of opposition-leaning group Kilusang Makabansang Ekonomiya (KME) – said they will once again try to knock on the conscience of Mrs. Arroyo and ask her to step down for “lack of moral ascendancy to lead the nation.”

Organizers, however, said their demonstration would not merge with that of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), which will be held at nearby Bonifacio Shrine in Lawton and led by former Vice President Teofisto Guingona.

Jaime Regalario, spokesman of KME, said their group is “different” from the militants who were reportedly planning to march to Mendiola near the Palace.

Guingona’s group on Wednesday released a whole page advertisement in major newspapers calling for the rejection of Mrs. Arroyo’s administration. Among the signatories of the political advertisement were Iniguez, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, and Jaro, Iloilo Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

“Our group is RESIGN NOW, which stands for Restoration of Integrity in Governance Now. Our position is to come up with a transition government and together with the civil society to urge Chief Justice Reynato Puno as caretaker,” Regalario explained.

He added that while they “may have the same objective with the other group, but we want to cut the umbilical cord of mass movement because we are concerned with the Philippine society.” 

Regalario stressed their gathering is “not political” and would only represent religious, academic, business and student groups.

Tobias clarified they would not support violent means to force the President to step down.

“The CBCP said we could not force her to resign. We reject any movement from the military to take over the government and also entry of the left, CPP – NPA. We just wanted to tell her that she has come to a point when she already lost her credibility,” he stressed.

In today’s rally, Tobias said they would ask President Arroyo to help the country by stepping down: “As your last act as president, will you please resign and help us in peaceful transition?”

Tobias said their group differs with Bayan, which wants a snap election.

Bayan will be joined by the United Opposition, Union of Masses for Democracy and Justice, Peoples Movement Against Poverty, the National Council for Concerned Volunteers and various lawyers groups and church-based formations in marching to Don Chino Roces Bridge (formerly Mendiola), which has been declared by the Manila government as a “no rally zone.”

Bayan said some 5,000 protesters are expected to join the protest action, which call’s for the “rejection of a morally bankrupt government.”

Bayan said it will highlight the issue of extrajudicial killings and abductions in its rally following the final report of a United Nations human investigator that found military involvement in the spate of unexplained killings in the country.

It will also demand for the scrapping of the government’s counter-insurgency program, Oplan Bantay Laya, which it believes is the administration’s policy targeting unarmed leftist activists.   – With Katherine Adraneda