INC, Marcoses backing Gloria

Two former backers of deposed President Joseph Estrada threw their support yesterday behind newly installed President Arroyo.

The bloc-voting Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) and the son of the late President Ferdinand Marcos said they are willing to give Mrs. Arroyo a chance to prove her worth as the country’s leader. Former First Lady Imelda Marcos had issued a similar statement earlier.

The President met with INC head Eraño Manalo at the church’s headquarters early yesterday before vi-siting a slum community in Quezon City.

INC spokesman Bienvenido Santiago said the meeting was on the initiative of the President. He noted that the INC welcomed Mrs. Arroyo’s move to consult with Manalo, but he did not say what the two discussed.

"We hope that she will not be unduly influenced by the groups that claim credit for her installation as president to the prejudice and detriment of others," Santiago said.

The INC, which has some five million members, endorsed Estrada for president and supported him even when corruption charges against him sparked widespread outrage.

Although it is dwarfed by the Catholic Church in the country, the INC is considered a formidable political force since its members are known to vote as a bloc.

Asked about the INC’s support for the fallen leader, Santiago said "they just elected Estrada, that’s all." He added that the INC would want Mrs. Arroyo to give the ousted president due process and be allowed to answer the charges against him in court.

"Since he already indicated his intention to face all charges leveled against him and not to leave the country, it would be for the interest of justice to allow him to do so and settle these issues once and for all," he stressed.

Ilocos Norte Gov. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., on the other hand, wished Mrs. Arroyo the best of luck as he keeps a "wait-and-see attitude" on how the new leader would run the government.

"We just hold back and say that we wish this government the best of luck, we give them all the support that they would like to have simply because we would like our country to be united," he said in a taped message broadcast over provincial radio.

The young Marcos noted that he was encouraged by Mrs. Arroyo’s recent pronouncements.

"They’re very encouraging because she speaks of healing, of building. Obviously she speaks with an eye to move forward and not repeat the mistakes of previous administrations," he said.

He added that he still has to see how the change in the government’s leadership would affect the policies undertaken by the previous administration.

"It is only natural that a new administration will try to put its stamp on the new government. The face of that stamp is not year clear to us," he pointed out.

The Marcos family is known to be an avid supporter of the corruption-tainted Estrada who was toppled on Jan. 20 from power by a populist, military-backed revolt, supported by the Catholic Church. The family had the same experience in 1986 when Marcos was ousted. Marcos died in 1991 while in exile in Hawaii.