By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS
I hold President Aquino accountable for the death of 44 Special Action Force commandos but I don’t want him forced to shorten his term which is due to end on June 30 next year.
I’m not joining calls for him to resign. I’m against a coup de’etat.
I want him to finish his mandate which the Filipino electorate bestowed on him when they elected him five years ago.
But he should shape up and take seriously his responsibilities as President.
He owes it to the Filipino people even to those who didn’t vote for him.
There are calls for Aquino’s resignation following the death of 44 SAF commandos last Jan. 25 who were in a mission to arrest two international terrorists in Mamasapano, Maguindanao controlled by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and its breakaway group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.
Aquino’s mishandling of the debacle (keeping silent in the first four days and not showing up for the arrival honors at Villamor Air Base for the 44 – he was at a Mitsubishi Motors plant launch) earned his widespread disgust.
The Makabayan bloc in Congress said, “Aquino lost his moral ascendancy and legitimacy to govern when he lied to the people on his responsibility and accountability in the botched police operation that led to the deaths of 44 police, 18 Moro fighters and 8 civilians. He covers up the role of United States and the unlawful participation of suspended PNP Chief General Allan Purisima. He broke the chain of command and violated the required coordination in the peace agreements with the MILF. The blood of the fallen SAF 44 and 26 Moros are on his hands.
“Aquino must resign! The President must resign for the sake of the nation, to save our nation from further disasters, moral bankruptcy, and massive poverty.”
The Makabayan bloc is composed of Neri Colmenares and Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna, Luz Ilagan and Emmi de Jesus of Gabriela, Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers, Fernando Hicap of Anakpawis, and Terry Ridon of Kabataan.
The secretary-general of the militant Bayan, Renato Reyes, said Aquino has become “the greatest stumbling block to truth and accountability…he has to go “.
Two Catholic bishops- Archbishop Romulo dela Cruz of Zamboanga and Archbishop Ramon Arguelles of Lipa have joined the calls for Aquino’s resignation.”I ask that he should step down…. He is not competent enough to run the affairs of government,” said Archbishop Cruz.
Archbishop Arguelles, whose 2012 comment about the President’s balding head was complained about by Aquino to Pope Francis during the latter’s visit in Malacanang last month, called on the people “to go to the streets and demand that Aquino step down.”
“I call for a revolution, but not the bloody kind,” Arguelles said urging Aquino to” step down to give way to a new government”.
Oblates missionary priest Fr. Eliseo “Jun” Mercado, a Mindanao peace advocate posted this in his Facebook: “Some experts claim that PNoy has ‘Nerd Personality disorder and Mild Autism’, he is psychologically not fit to govern the country, he should resign now before more and more people would die and suffer if another disaster strikes our country.
“He has his own world and at times or oftentimes this world is not in touch with the real world out there. (Those) close to the Aquino family has known this.
“There are people who exploit this reality and this made possible what we have been observing these past years…. DAP, Ouster of CJ Corona at all cost with the use of PDAF .. Reaction to Luneta massacre, Yolanda, and the botched Operation at Mamasapano that led to slaughter…
“I now believe this claim…. And I join my voice to the clamor asking for PNoy’s resignation and allow him to rest and privately live in his own world.”
The president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippine, Socrates Villegas, Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan, said “the CBCP cannot morally join in the calls for his resignation, leaving this decision to his humble and prayerful discernment of his capacity to lead and the support he has not only from officials of government but from members of Philippine society.”
The CBCP said it supports the creation of a credible Truth Commission or a fact-finding body to find out the truth about the tragedy.
Villegas has some words of advice for Aquino. He said: “The President of the Republic, the CBCP prays, should have learned from this regrettable tragedy that transparency and forthrightness are what are expected of him at all times. It will serve him well to listen to sound advice and counsel from truly wise, and not from those eager to curry favor! He has been roundly criticized for having absented himself at the arrival honors for the mortal remains of our heroes. He will, in the future, we hope, make better balanced choices and conduct himself as his high office demands. We pray that in all humility he would willingly accept just criticism rather than have his spokespersons concoct excuses at every turn.”
I share the prayer.