Ramos: Aquino does not sound presidential
Defending Aquino, Senate President Franklin Drilon said Wednesday that the public anger over Mamasapano was “part of the process” and “part of the political environment.”
Speaking to reporters, Drilon said he did not think Mamasapano had put the President in a deep political crisis.
“[The President] should expect that and I think he is prepared to respond to all of these questions,” he said.
Drilon, however, said he did not know whether the report on the Senate investigation of the Mamasapano clash could ease the political tension.
“But I can tell you that there will be no whitewash in our report. It will be complete and it will take into account all the evidence that we have gathered from the resource persons,” he said.
‘Just say sorry’
But Sen. Serge Osmeña III said President Aquino was going through a “crisis of credibility.”
“It’s very hard to lose your credibility when you’re President. No one believes you,” he said.
But Aquino can still surmount his crisis, Osmeña said.
Asked how, he said, “Just say sorry.”
“That’s the best beginning,” he continued. “And then he should accept responsibility. OK, I made a mistake, sorry. We’re gonna make corrections so it doesn’t happen again.”
Osmeña said he believed the people would accept the President’s apology and that the “healing process is going to be faster.”
Told that Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma had already said that the President would not apologize, Osmeña said that was a “sad reaction.”
Asked whether an apology would open the President to lawsuits after he stepped down in 2016, Osmeña said no.
No one would take anyone to court “if you make a mistake in good faith,” he said.
“That’s not justiciable. I’ve never seen a President sued for making misjudgments,” he said.
Bishops want Aquino out
Some Catholic bishops, however, want Aquino to step down and one of them, retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, will not stop urging the President to go despite support from Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle.
“I perfectly understand and accept Cardinal Tagle’s thinking and position. The fact that he stands for the President and he does not want people to call for resignation is something I have to honor and understand,” Cruz said in a telephone interview.
“He (Tagle) spoke as a citizen. He has all the right to say he is not supportive of the National Transformation Council (NTC). In the same way, I myself as well as the other bishops and archbishops in the country will stand by our position, we want the President to resign now,” he said.
“The movement espoused by some churchmen for his (Aquino’s) resignation continues notwithstanding the expressed opinion of Cardinal Tagle,” he added.
Questioning credibility
Tagle, in an interview from England by ABS-CBN on Monday, defended Aquino against mounting calls, including those from several bishops, for him to step down over Mamasapano.
Tagle also opposed the creation of an advisory council that would take over in the event Aquino was forced to resign, questioning the credibility of those who would constitute the body.–With a report from Tina G. Santos
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