Citizens for Truth (C4T) SONA Statement
Whatever President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo says in her State of the Nation Address (SONA) this afternoon, we believe she will not admit the actual state of our nation now.
The Citizens for Truth, Resignation, Impeachment or Ouster (C4T) believes that we now have a vacuum of leadership and credibility in the national government. While our people expect our leaders to tell the truth, statements by the President and her close-in officials are met with skepticism. Their word is no longer taken at face value. While our people deserve real solutions to actual problems, we have come to expect hyped up reports on government accomplishments, “photo-ops” of the country’s leaders and more empty promises.
The pessimism regarding the national government has started to spread to other political forces. While people want their political system to provide leadership for change, this leadership has not been forthcoming for a variety of reasons. This is a stage of grave danger to our nation because once the imperatives of survival grow and become more insistent, it may not be the forces of reason and democracy that determine the outcome of the crisis but rather those now in power who are prepared to use the might of the state to crush legitimate challenges or those not in power capable of convincing sufficient military forces to support their quest for power.
Our people were already restless with this administration at the start of 2005. From February 2001 to May 2004, while much more should have been done, the government did initiate and implement quite a number of helpful projects and activities. But after the 2004 elections, so much attention was paid to political “bayad-utang” (payment of debts) and photo opportunities, and so little to meaningful reforms. By March-April 2005, public opinion surveys indicated that dissatisfaction with and disapproval of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo were worse than any president since 1986.
In the May hearings on jueteng, the familiar smell of corruption involving the First Family began pervading the air and restlessness turned to active concern. The June outbreak of the “Hello, Garci” tapes, with its many indications of premeditated electoral fraud raised the ante to questions about legitimacy and capacity to govern effectively.
Our people now have an urgent, deep, but as yet formless demand for political change. They are convinced that PGMA cannot remain in power, but many still harbor questions about how she should be removed and what should happen after such removal. They are convinced that our electoral system is rotten, yet they realize that popular elections are still the best way to choose who will lead us. Mistrust of our political institutions is widespread because people perceive these rightly as merely offering different personalities with the same sorry and sordid outcomes. The scandal of a stealing president is simply replaced by the scandal of a cheating president, who might be replaced by another scandal of the next president.
C4T believes that what our people want is a viable, sustainable and credible political solution to the present crisis that also allows us to build on this solution for future stability, growth and strength. They want a solution that can move us out of this current crisis, one that establishes a capability to deliver better results over the long haul.
C4T has adopted the TRIO approach for regime change. We want to know the Truth, the whole truth, not just the half-truths we have been fed so far, and we believe that the formation of an independent Fact-Finding Commission with adequate powers, credible appointees and sufficient budget will be helpful. Even as we seek the whole truth, we believe that we have adequate basis to seek the Resignation of PGMA, or if she chooses not to resign, her Impeachment. If she is not impeached due to unacceptable maneuvers of politicians supporting her, we will seek her Ouster through non-violent and democratic people’s actions. These four approaches are not mutually exclusive; in fact, they may be pursued simultaneously, as they support and strengthen each other.
Our post-PGMA alternative is constitutional succession — but not this alone! The constitutional successor must reach out to all legitimate political forces and assemble a coalition government that will revamp the COMELEC and modernize the electoral system to prevent cheating, undertake constitutional reforms through the participatory process of a constitutional convention, prioritize social reforms that benefit the basic sectors and shore up government revenues by collecting taxes efficiently and prosecuting tax evaders while exercising fiscal prudence.
C4T is also open to other democratic post-GMA alternatives, but we clearly reject any form of military junta or the return of former Presidents to power and other unconstitutional and undemocratic schemes.
C4T is a nationwide group composed of many of the middle forces that had been active in the anti-dictatorship movement of the 1970s and 1980s. After EDSA 1, the middle forces began to define its character beyond their opposition to dictatorship. The long and complex history of political struggles since the 1986 EDSA revolution revealed what the middle forces stand for: constitutional democracy, human rights, reforms that benefit marginalized sectors, civilian supremacy over military, peaceful and non-violent means for change, secular government, social justice and commitment to good governance free from corruption and marked by transparency, accountability, responsiveness and citizen participation.
C4T leaders from all over the country met last July 18, 2005 to clarify our strategies and plans. Regional assemblies and forums have already been started in various areas in Mindanao, Visayas and Luzon. We will hold an Assembly on August 1, 2005 to further strengthen our TRIO approach (details to be announced later).
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For more information, contact:
* Sixdon Macasaet, Executive Director, CODE-NGO (0918-9173159)
* Beth Yang, Secretary-General, National Peace Conference (0915-5430025)
* Gerry Bulatao, Chairperson, Local Governance Citizens Network (0918-9158779)
* Soc Banzuela, Secretary General, Citizens Movement for a Federal Phils. (0920-7998382)
* Brenda Batistiana, Philippine CO Society (0917-8579227)
* Joel Rocamora (0917-8170587)
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Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO)
2/F CCS, SDC, Ateneo de Manila University
Loyola Heights, Quezon City
Tel. (632) 4265938, 4266001 local 4624/4625
Email. scmacasaet@surfshop.net.ph
www.codengo.org
