Palace defends Arroyo’s legitimacy
By Michael Lim Ubac
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:38:00 07/26/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- Malacańang said Saturday that the legitimacy of President Macapagal-Arroyo has long been settled, and belittled the claim of a group of former Cabinet members and other former officials that the President was presiding over “a stolen, not a strong, republic.”
Citing the numerous decisions of the Supreme Court upholding Arroyo's ascension to power on February 20, 2001, Deputy Presidential spokesperson Anthony Golez contested the so-called real state of the nation as portrayed by the Former Senior Government Officials (FSGO) on Friday.
In an interview with state-run Radyo ng Bayan, Golez said the “allegations” made by former top government officials are “nothing new,” and that their motives are also suspect.
“From the very beginning...there was a question of intention of these groups because they have made so many allegations against this administration and there's nothing new because they have been saying practically the same things,” Golez said in Filipino.
Arroyo's election lawyer, Romulo Macalintal, also defended the Chief Executive in a phone interview.
“The claim of illegitimate presidency is without basis in law and in fact,” he said.
Macalintal, who also represented Vice President Noli De Castro in the election protest lodged by Senator Loren Legarda, said the “ultimate end to the issue was finally nailed when the Supreme Court dismissed Senator Loren Legarda's protest... where not a single ballot had been shown to prove that a vote for Fernando Poe Jr. was counted for President Arroyo.”
“Since the ultimate end had been handed down by the SC, then it cannot be said that PGMA stole the republic, for the SC decision in Legarda which is already final and executory affirmed and strengthened her legitimacy, hence, her presidency can never be stolen from her by those people who could not wait for 2010 polls," Macalintal said.
Legarda was the running mate of Poe, the opposition presidential standard bearer in the hotly contested 2004 election who died on December 14, 2004 while his case was being heard by the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.
His electoral protest died with him, the PET said later.
Macalintal accused the FSGO members of not being competent enough to accuse President Arroyo as an illegitimate President.
“Some of them even worked with her for years, yet during those days we never heard them of any claim of poll fraud. Everything they say are based on speculation and hearsay,” said Macalintal, referring to former members of the Arroyo Cabinet Corazon Soliman, Karina David, Cesar Purisima, and Teresita Deles.
On Friday, the FSGO delivered its own State of the Nation Address (SONA) “indicting” Arroyo for her failed promises, and said that for seven years she had wrought “seven curses” on the nation that left it “enfeebled” and impoverished.
Read by former senator Vicente Paterno, the FSGO SONA said Arroyo “at the head of our government is the worst threat to the state of our nation.”
The FSGO listed “seven curses”: a country unable to feed its people because of mismanagement of the agricultural sector; worsening poverty and increasing inequality; deteriorating basic social services; cancer of corruption; wanton abuse of presidential power; illegitimate presidency; and a nation robbed of dignity, unity, hope, and future.
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