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Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo thanked Sunday evening the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for its "statement of guidance and wisdom" and vowed to do all she could to earn the "trust and support" of the nation.
The CBCP Sunday refused to endorse mounting calls for Arroyo's resignation over allegations that she cheated in last year's presidential election, while criticizing her for having further eroded public trust in the political system.
In a statement read on government radio station, Arroyo vowed to follow the appeal of the bishops for her to "search deeply for moral discernment."
She also said she would work with the church, civil society, and all sectors to get the economy moving and end the political bickering that she said has caused harm to the nation.
"I appreciate their collective voice of moderation and temperance at this time of national soul-searching," she said in the statement aired over radio Radyo ng Bayan (radio of people).
"I shall continue to pray with the Filipino people for true redemption from corruption and evil," she added.
In a prepared statement read by Archbishop Fernando Capalla, the CBCP asked Arroyo to "discern deeply to what extent she might have contributed to the erosion of governance" and whether its effects on her administration had become so grave "as to be irreversible."
However, the mild attitude of the church is unlikely to stop the opposition's call for the president's resignation.
Soon after the church's statement, House of Representatives Minority Leader Fransis Escudaro said in an interview with the ABS-CBN news channel that they would still continue their peaceful call for Arroyo's stepdown.
"There is no other option at the moment. The resignation is resolution with the lest destruction to the political crisis," he said.
On the proposed establishment of a truth commission by the CBCP to investigate the electoral fraud charge against the president, Escudaro said that there is no introduction of such a commission from any provision of the Constitution and other laws.
However, he expressed no surprise to the church's "conservative reaction," saying that "it will not mind too much" to the opposition's stance.
In a separate interview, Professor Tony Gatmaitan, a political analyst in Manila, said that the weaker stance taken by the CBCP was a result from the internal severe division on the call for Arroyo's resignation.
"Finally, as a body, they chose not to take action against Arroyo, trying to avoid any firm position," Gatmaitan said.
He dismissed the possibilities that the opposition would easily give up their call to oust Arroyo, saying that "many of them are still convinced that President Arroyo is guilty."
"People are starting going out (for a street protest)," he added.
The Church has traditionally played a politically powerful role in this predominantly Catholic nation and was at the forefront of the popular revolts that put Aquino into power in 1986 and Arroyo in 2001.
(Xinhua News Agency July 11, 2005)
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