GMA offers hand of reconciliation

This is the raw copy of our report that saw front page last Thursday, September 8 (because Jasmin really made an effort to lobby to our news editor to give this a priority):

GMA OFFERS HAND OF RECONCILIATION
By Fred Languido, Wenna Berondo and Jasmin Uy

A DAY after the House of Representatives junked the impeachment complaint against her, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday offered a hand of reconciliation to her detractors and asked them to get back to work not by holding protests in the streets but by working for a brighter and peaceful future of the country.

Arroyo made the call for unity at the Crown regency Hotel in Lapulapu City last night, her first public appearance since the dismissal of the impeachment last Tuesday, where she spoke before the delegates of the National Summit of Religious Leaders Towards a Culture of Peace.

"I offer the olive branch of peace to all my critics and detractors for a principled partnership for the people greeted by responsible governance and responsible fiscalization," the president noted.

Arroyo said the Congress had already spoken and it should be respected, adding that she thank House Deputy Speaker and Cebu north district congressman Raul del Mar who also presided during the hearing on the impeachment complained against her.

"The voice is clear let as look for peace not conflict. Let us get back to work. Not in the streets but in our offices, in industrial centers, in our farms and communities. Lets bury the conflict of the past, and gather around the a brighter peaceful tomorrow," she went on.

She also appealed to the political leaders of the country to be the source of inspiration to the Filipinos by transforming the weariness of the people into a fresh dynamism for action, enterprise and reform.

Arroyo added that what is needed is less talk, unless its dialogue, and more action and jobs to address the country’s problems like high prices especially coming from the world oil price upsurge, hunger, law and order, corruption, which the religious leaders mentioned in their summaries and statements.

In statement, which they handed to the president, the religious leaders of the country said that poverty is a root cause of conflicts. They added that the country should ensure that infrastructure, livelihood projects and equal employment opportunities are provided. Likewise, relief, rehabilitation, and development programs for affected communities should also be pursued.

Earlier that day, Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal also said that peace can never be realized through murder, coercion, suppression, but rather it is founded in the culture that values truth, justice, decency and respect for others.

"Subvert this values and peace would be ephemeral and allow yourselves to be guided by the light of God so that you may be able to feel and internalize the essence of peace. While we are united in our search for peace, we are divided in our means to find it," he added.

In her speech, Arroyo also ordered her Cabinet members to put on notice to get down to the grass stacks and "let the people feel the power of honest and efficient service," which religious leaders are of big help to muster them.

"My personal thing of political triumph is of no moment to the task of building this nation and putting the economy in order," she added. However, Arroyo said that many of the things that people ask require legislation.

With this, she said that the country has to change the "degenerated" political system constitutionally with parliamentary electoral deviation, economic and other reforms, including the federal system.

"As I extend the hand of peace to my own detractors, I invite all Filipinos, my critics and supporters alike to an earnest and sincere debate to amend our constitution because many of the things you want need to have a constitutional change. To give power back to the people and to cast out the demons that have haunted our politics," Arroyo added.

However, she recognized that this would still have to go through into a thorough process even as her government has to get the budget debate, adding that there is a need to strengthen the executive and legislative partnership because part of it has been wounded by personal interests.

"Now is the time to begin to change the system. You in this dialogue are part of the changing of the system," she further stated.

The religious leaders also stressed the importance of dialog between the rebels and the government to restore peace in the country.

"Intercultural understanding is our goal in engaging in dialog. We respect each other’s beliefs systems and focus on our common belief in one God and convergent human values that build up a society based on truth, justice and love," they said in a statement.

They added that to attain peace, people must work for justice and ensure that the human rights of every Filipino and cultural community are respected and upheld.

Recognizing the importance of peace in the development of the country, Arroyo also said that to restore peace, the national government has again reopened the negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the National Democratic Front.

To solve poverty, the president said that the country needs development to sustain peace and likewise, it needs peace to sustain development.

Also, the religious leaders asked the president to create an interfaith commission to provide institutional mechanism for the resolution of issues affecting the various religious and cultural traditions in the country in promoting peace and harmony.

Claiming that she is a great believer of peace for mankind and common good, Arroyo said that her administration has long been studying the possibility of creating a interfaith council and it is now being studied by the Presidential Council for Values Formation, which is headed by Isabel Tobias.