Heads of major political parties reject military junta

Heads of various political parties led by Lakas national chairman and Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. have rejected the proposal of President Arroyo’s enemies for the setting up of a military-civilian junta or some form of collective leadership.

The political party leaders conveyed their sentiments to Mrs. Arroyo in a meeting with her in Malacañang on Friday night.

De Venecia said yesterday political parties participating in next week’s first Political Summit are against any extra-legal or extra-constitutional means of replacing the present administration.

"We should follow the Constitution. If we want to replace our leaders, then we should do so through the ballot in 2004, not through some other means," he said.

The political party leaders’ rejection of a military-civilian junta comes at a time when there are renewed efforts from some sectors, including the camp of ousted President Joseph Estrada, to destabilize the government.

Besides De Venecia, those who met with the President included Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr., who is Lakas president; Environment Secretary Heherson Alvarez, Lakas secretary general; Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Makati Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr. of PDP-Laban; Representatives Gilberto Teodoro Jr. of Tarlac and Jack Duavit of Rizal, who represented the Nationalist People’s Coalition;

House Minority Leader Carlos Padilla and Makati Rep. Agapito Aquino of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino; former Vice President Salvador Laurel of the Nacionalista Party; Ilocos Norte Rep. Imee Marcos of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan; and Gov. Parouk Hussin of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

De Venecia said Mrs. Arroyo will keynote the three-day Political Summit that opens on Friday at the Manila Hotel.

During the opening program that starts at 9 a.m., the President is expected to be elected honorary chairman of the summit, while De Venecia would be elected overall chairman.

Locsin will head a committee that would draft a declaration summing up the agreements and recommendations to be made during the conference.

De Venecia also hailed the meeting between Mrs. Arroyo and members of the Council on Philippine Affairs led by STAR columnist Teodoro Benigno.

"We hail this development in the spirit of political hearing and unification being pushed by the Political Summit and in the interest of bringing together the many factions of society," he said.

FVR-Sarino involvement denied

Meanwhile, a former government official issued a statement yesterday denying that he and former President Fidel Ramos are involved in an alleged conspiracy to launch a coup against Mrs. Arroyo.

"Someone is deliberately spinning and adding fuel to the supposed coup and setting up a junta. This is getting wild," Cesar Sarino said in a statement.

Sarino served as interior secretary under former President Corazon Aquino and as administrator of the Government Service and Insurance System under Ramos.

Sarino said he attended two meetings of the Freedom Force "to learn more about it and to find out how it could be harnessed to complement the policies and accelerate the programs" of the Arroyo administration.