MikeLigalig.com

By TJ Burgonio, Allison Lopez
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:18:00 09/24/2009

Filed Under: Benigno Aquino III, Inquirer Politics, Eleksyon 2010, Elections


MANILA, Philippines—Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo’s open declaration of support for Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III has exposed cracks in President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Cabinet, administration and opposition officials said Wednesday.

Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III was the latest member of Ms Arroyo’s official family to announce in a radio interview Wednesday that “my sentiments are for Noynoy.”

Bello said he would quit the Cabinet if he eventually decided to support Aquino’s candidacy.

Bello is a former justice secretary of President Corazon Aquino whose death from cancer on Aug. 1 sparked an outpouring of sympathy that her 49-year-old son hopes to translate into votes in his run for the presidency as Liberal Party standard-bearer in the May elections.

Bello’s declaration followed that of Presidential Anti-graft Commissioner Jaime Jacob and Romulo.

And as though adding to the chinks in the administration’s façade, signs emerged Wednesday that Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane also plans to run for president.

Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, president of the United Opposition, said expression of support by Arroyo officials for Aquino indicated that “all is not well” within the Cabinet.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita conceded as much, telling reporters that Romulo’s statement created “ripples” in the political scene.

“Of course, it has effects,” Ermita said. “But in time, we’ll be able to overcome that.”

Binay said he expected more Arroyo administration officials to jump ship in the weeks leading to the Nov. 30 deadline for the filing of certificates of candidacy.

“The exodus has already started and Secretary Romulo will not be the first and last high-level official who will express support for the opposition,” he said.

“After the Nov. 30 deadline, you can expect mass desertions to the side of the opposition,” Binay said. “Starting Dec. 1, Malacañang will be the loneliest place in the Philippines.”

Ermita warned Cabinet officials to keep their political preferences to themselves, saying the opposition could use these statements against the administration.

Ermita said that he found Romulo’s explanation of his statement of support for Aquino “acceptable.”

“The statement he made was in the context of just stating his support to a candidate other than that of the administration without necessarily saying that he’s looking out to openly campaign for that candidate and that he is firm in his stand that he continues to support President Arroyo up to the end of her term,” he said.

Ermita said he wasn’t aware if other Cabinet officials felt the same way as Romulo, but added that the administration would welcome if they expressed such feelings now. He said he did not find this alarming.

“I don’t think there’ll be such ... traitors. The Cabinet members are decent people. They won’t be able to sleep at night if they have that sinister design,” he said.

Pessimism in Cabinet

Binay said the President’s “alter egos” were supposed to back the administration party’s candidate, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr.

“When you have a situation where two Cabinet members are not supporting Ms Arroyo’s choice for 2010 election, it shows that all is not well within the Arroyo Cabinet,” Binay said.

“The pessimism about the chances of Ms Arroyo’s candidate winning fair and square reached the highest level of government,” he said in a statement.

Malacañang has urged Cabinet members who cannot support administration candidates to resign, following reports that Romulo was supporting Aquino.

Romulo, who was with Ms Arroyo in her trip to Saudi Arabia, said he would not resign and that he would stand by Ms Arroyo until she stepped down.

Jacob has resigned to campaign for Aquino.

Ebdane’s ad campaign

An ad that appeared in the Philippine Daily Inquirer Wednesday indicated Ebdane’s plan to run for president. It showed an Iloilo mayor thanking Ebdane for a bridge built in the province and suggested “Di kaya si Jun Ebdane ang tamang daan sa 2010 (Isn’t Jun Ebdane the right way to 2010)?”

A tabloid news report said that the Mindanao Indigenous People Conference for Peace and Development wanted Ebdane to join the presidential race.

Crack insignificant

“What the opponent is watching out is if this is the start of the crack in the Cabinet ... but it’s not really that significant,” Ermita said.

He said that if the Cabinet men could not stop themselves from disclosing their choice of a non-administration presidential candidate, they should explain and “acquit” themselves before the President.

Otherwise, they could lose their jobs, the executive secretary added.

“If they feel deep in their hearts that they need to support another candidate, they should be man enough to tell this to the President rather than pretend that they’re still part of the party,” Ermita said.

Ermita said that Malacañang expected Cabinet men to “band together” to support the administration’s standard-bearer.

“Everybody will get a sense of how they should position himself as far as the issue of staying and be one with the entire membership of the Cabinet so that the candidate we have fielded and the party headed by President Arroyo would be the one supported,” he said.

Ermita said he believed Bello was merely expressing his personal sentiments without any commitment he would actively campaign for his preferred candidate.

“Let’s respect everyone for such a latitude. If that happens to other Cabinet members, it doesn’t mean they will turn their back on President Arroyo. I hope they’re aware of the implications of their actions,” he said.
 

 


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