Aquino regrets backing Arroyo

[explorer]

Aquino regrets backing Arroyo
Cory: 'I thought she would do better than Estrada'

First posted 00:55am (Mla time) Oct 23, 2005
By Fe B. Zamora
Inquirer News Service

Editor's Note: Published on page A1 of the October 23, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

FORMER President Corazon Aquino and preacher Bro. Eddie Villanueva yesterday publicly admitted regretting having helped Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo become president of the Philippines.

"I plead guilty to the fact that I thought GMA (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) would be a better alternative to Estrada," Aquino told supporters, referring to her decision to back Ms Arroyo's rise to power in 2001, replacing then President Joseph Estrada.

Aquino had joined hands with the late Jaime Cardinal Sin in leading "People Power" protests against Estrada after Senate supporters of the former movie actor quashed supposedly crucial evidence against him during his impeachment trial for corruption.

"When Cardinal Sin and I made our decision, that was very, very easy because we thought that maybe GMA could do better than Erap," said Aquino, who is now leading a campaign to make Ms Arroyo step down.

Apparently referring to Vice President Noli de Castro, Aquino said the current "alternative has not been as attractive."

Aquino spoke at a forum and workshop on possible alternatives to Ms Arroyo conducted by the Black and White Movement, a group seeking the President's resignation.

In Malacañang, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said political reconciliation between Ms Arroyo and her critics would be difficult for as long as they continued to demand her resignation.

Traitor to promises

"I regretted having helped her but that's how it is, we learn lessons from history," Villanueva told the forum. "I'm sorry in a way that the successor of Estrada has turned out to be a traitor to her promises to fight corruption and injustices."

Among the organizers of the daylong forum were former Education Secretary Fulgencio "Butch" Abad, former Social Welfare Secretary Corazon "Dinky" Soliman, former Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita "Ging" Deles and former Anti-Poverty Commission chair Imelda Nicolas.

The four belong to the so-called "Hyatt 10" group composed of 10 senior administration officials who quit their posts in July and urged Ms Arroyo to follow their example.

Meeting at Burgundy

The workshop was held in the same Ateneo High School covered court where, in November 2000, civil society leaders convened the 2nd Kongreso ng Mamayang Pilipino (Kompil) to map out plans to oust Estrada and replace him with Ms Arroyo.

The first Kompil in 1985 unified the fractious opposition to dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who was later ousted in a People Power revolution in February 1986.

Villanueva said Ms Arroyo even invited him to a meeting at her family's condominium in the Burgundy building along Katipunan Avenue at the height of the impeachment case against Estrada on corruption and mismanagement charges.

Also at the meeting were Ms Arroyo's husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, and businessman/musician Ramon Jacinto, he said.

Villanueva said he brought along his son, now party-list Rep. Joel Villanueva.

"She requested me to talk to some key religious leaders, to talk to them to withdraw support from Estrada and help mobilize people. She assured me that she will seriously fight corruption, injustices and really fight the evils of abject poverty," Villanueva said.

"I was made to believe that she was sincere. She probably was," he added.

Looking back, Villanueva felt that supporting Ms Arroyo then was probably the "correct decision."

Leader for herself

"I cannot fault the Filipino people who replaced Estrada with GMA. I can only fault GMA herself for allowing herself to be tempted by power and probably money that suddenly she has changed [from being] leader of the Filipino people and now a leader for herself," Villanueva also said.

Villanueva laughed off proposals for a plebiscite to determine whether a majority of the people wanted Ms Arroyo to stay on until the end of her fixed term in 2010, or cut her tenure to three years, until 2007.

An insanity

"Any kind of plebiscite or referendum to be handled by the same Comelec (Commission on Elections) that allowed the rigging of the last election is ridiculous if not [an] insanity, I'm sorry to say that," Villanueva said.

'Sign of stupidity'

"With due respect to former President Ramos and to my good friend Speaker Joe de Venecia, I am sorry I cannot in conscience accept a constitutional change through the same congressmen and lawmakers who shamelessly killed the impeachment complaint, thereby denying the Filipino people to know the truth," the evangelist said, referring to the House of Representatives' killing of the impeachment complaints against Ms Arroyo.

"To me again that is another sign of stupidity," Villanueva said.

[j_avonni]

I think GMA is still better, though slightly, than Erap.

[Rats]

Ayusin mo muna bakuran mo (Hacienda Luisita) at patinuin si kwan bago mo subukan ayusin ang buong Pilipinas at patinuin buong populasyon. I'm not for GMA but I see her as the lesser evil compared to those who want to take her place. Now if only there's a better alternative ...

[CoDer]

"I have been through painful experiences because of Mendiola and I'm not about to ask people to go there," quoted from her own words from Inquirer

Cory Aquino is a classic example of a hypocrite b****. Why she hates Gloria so much? Hacienda Luisita most likely? If Cory wants to save Hacienda Luisita she must go to great lengths in removing Arroyo.

She was pretending to be the champion of the masa just like Estrada but why exempt Hacienda Luisita from the DAR program?

The only thing she’s good at is praying the rosary. I don’t know if she knew that rosary isn’t a form of prayer. I also don’t know if she knew that you’re not suppose to pray to Virgin Mary but to God alone through his son Jesus Christ.

What a hypocrite.

[empy]

how many times has Cory Aquino called for 'people power'? 1 at least...2? is this the 3rd or 4th?

when does people power become mob rule?

[ARB]

ito pa ang isang gaga. she is the cause of some of our problems now because of her ignorance.

[woodfire]

I hate to say this but my RESPECT for Mrs. Aquino is totally extinguished.

TIMING is everything... why speak only now? Is it because the owners of Hacienda Luisita did not get the favors it expected from the government, i.e., to bail them out in the brink of collapse!!! Everybody knows in the business community that the Banks are already poised to foreclose on the Tarlac properties.

MORAL ASCENDANCY... well, I guess Ms. Aquino should practice what she preaches with her daughter!

[Sith Lord]

Is this bitch still around?

[ranod55]

Hindi ba niya naalala o' natatandaan noon nangungumpanya siya para maging presidente nasinabi niya na siya ay pangkaraniwan lang house wife at walang alam sa politika at lalong walang alam sa pangangasiwa nang pilipinas,ngayon kung magsalita eh akala mo eh may nagawa siya noon pangulo pa! ilang coup ang inabot niya at napabalita ppang nagtago sa ilalim ng kama niya noon kasagsagan ng coup.dapat niyang isipin naging presidente lang siya dahil sa pagkapatay kay ninoy at walang alternatibong para itapat at patalsikin si macoy.ewan ko sa tingn niya ay may asim pa siya sa mga tao na magsabi nang kung anu-ano at para sumunod sa kanya,mabuti pa yung napakalaking lupa niya sa tarlac(Hacienda Luisita) eh ibigay na doon sa matagal nang nakiki- sakada sa lupain nila,baka diyan eh bumango kapa uli..............

[maykel]

dapat hindi na binibigyan ng pansin si Ms Aquino dahil obvious naman pansarili lang ang hangad nyan. nasira na ang credibility ng Aquino dahil na din sa mga scandals na kinasangkutan nila... kung buhay lang cguro si Mr. Ninoy, malamang nag pakamatay na yon dahil sa kahihiyan... heheheh