Arroyo vows flexibility over fate of rebellion offenders

President Arroyo said yesterday her government has some "flexibility" over the fate of two fugitive opposition candidates facing rebellion charges and who are likely to win seats in the Senate after the May 14 polls.

Critics have suggested that she drop the charges against Sen. Gregorio Honasan and former police chief Panfilo Lacson in keeping with her pledge to "heal" the country after the bitterly-contested election.

Honasan and Lacson spent the last two weeks of the campaign in hiding after Mrs. Arroyo ordered a manhunt for them and several other police and military officials she accused of instigating an opposition march on the presidential palace which degenerated into deadly rioting on May 1.

"We will see how good the evidence is. And of course we have to do what we have to do under the law," Mrs. Arroyo told a news conference when asked if her government would still prosecute the two, projected by exit polls to be among the 13 winners in the Senate contest.

"In the case of Honasan, it’s really rebellion so that’s something which is more within our flexibility," she said, without elaborating.

But Mrs. Arroyo said the state did not call the shots on all the cases involving Lacson, who has also been implicated by private parties in kidnapping. The latter cases were "certainly not within our control," the President said.

Another opposition candidate, Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, is on bail on similar charges but was not expected to be among the winners.

The official results from the poll were not expected before next week.

Meanwhile, the expected arraignment yesterday of former ambassador to Washington Ernesto Maceda on charges that he helped plot an attempted grab of power from Mrs. Arroyo was postponed by a lower court.

It was postponed to a date yet to be set after Maceda’s lawyers sought copies of videotape evidence from prosecutors who alleged that he had incited followers of jailed former President Joseph Estrada to march on the presidential palace. Maceda is a key ally of Estrada.

Four people died while more than a 100 were injured when about 50,000 Estrada supporters marched on the presidential palace to protest his jailing.

The government has said the siege was part of a larger plan to topple Mrs. Arroyo and install a civilian-military junta.

Estrada goes on trial next month for plunder, a crime punishable by death.

Gringo calls for leaders’ summit

Sen. Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan called on President Arroyo yesterday to immediately convene a summit of national leaders so that a common legislative agenda could be drawn up before Congress resumes in July.

Honasan said the summit should give top priority to poverty alleviation, developing local business and promoting peace in the countryside. Even if he is a member of the opposition, Honasan said he is most willing to help push for the administration’s legislative agenda if it addresses poverty and promotes peace and progress.

Honasan said that the convening of the summit would be a significant step in fulfilling the call for unity and reconciliation aired by President Arroyo and former President Joseph Estrada.

He expressed full support to the call of Mrs. Arroyo and Estrada, saying the people have had enough of politics and politicking.

"Since last year, much of the attention and energy of our leaders and the people have been diverted to divisive politics. It is time to roll up our sleeves and work triple time to make up for lost time and opportunity, and refocus our attention, resources and collective effort towards uplifting the lives of Filipinos, especially the poorest of the poor," Honasan said. – Marichu Villanueva, Efren Danao