New group vows support for Arroyo

Leaders of the newly launched December 30 Movement said yesterday they are pushing for the Arroyo administration’s eight-point agenda for reforms.

No matter what the critics will say, leaders of the "12:30"" movement, insisted they will be helping Mrs. Arroyo and her administration to attain the much-needed reforms.

"Hindi kami sipsip (We’re not trying to curry the favor of anyone)," said Lola Poning Tolentino of the Urban Land Reform Task Force, one of some 380 civil society organizations of the movement.

"Layunin lamang namin na makatulong (We only wanted to help)," she stressed.

In a joint statement, the movement’s leaders spelled out their task, including helping out in the government’s efforts to strengthen the economy, create jobs, encourage corruption-free business, heal divisions caused by adverse politics and work for clean and honest elections in 2004.

The new movement, however, stated its position against moves to amend the Constitution by claiming politicians "would hijack the process and further their selfish interests."

In the same statement, the leaders praised Mrs. Arroyo for putting aside her political ambitions in announcing her withdrawal from the 2004 presidential race.

"In a supreme act of leadership, she willingly set aside the burden of electoral politics so that, in most of the remaining months of her administration, the nation may focus its attention and energy on important tasks," they said.

"We think there is a big enthusiasm over what the President did last Dec. 30 (in Mrs. Arroyo’s announcement she will not run for the 2004 polls)," said Joel Pagsanjan, of the group Code-NGO. "We want to capture the historical moment, the energy of that enthusiasm."

Pagsanjan said the presence of over 380 leaders of various organizations confirmed the desire for a break from too much politics and more meaningful participation in governance.

Ric Samaniego, a member of the steering committee of the Kongreso ng Mamamayang Pilipino (Kompil II), the group which prominently figured in the ouster of Joseph Estrada from the presidency in 2001, has extended its invitation for other groups to join in.

But critics, including Vice President Teofisto Guingona, were not able to show up despite the invitation extended by the organizers for the launching held yesterday at the Institute of Social Order of the Ateneo de Manila University.

The militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), for its part, criticized the movement by branding it as a "council of GMA deodorizers."

Bayan said the new movement is another permutation of pro-Arroyo groups out to win the President’s favor.

Bayan secretary general Teodoro Casiño said other than renouncing her presidential bid, Mrs. Arroyo has not changed her anti-poor and anti-people policies.

Pagsanjan replied and said their movement will act as a "constructive critic" of the Arroyo administration.

The leaders also declared the new movement is not Kompil II. "This is not Kompil II, " stressed Chako Molina of the Social Democratic Caucus.

Samaniego said Kompil II leaders are now winding up a month-long assessment of the organization’s life. "Some of us are now in the government," he said. "Hence we’re giving ourselves one more month to decide whether or not continue the work of Kompil II."

Karen Tañada, a prominent advocate for women’s issues, said many meaningful reforms can still be achieved in the small window of opportunity opened by Mrs. Arroyo’s declaration she will not run for next year’s elections.