Ricciardone: US won’t back coup

Outgoing United States Ambassador Francis Ricciardone said yesterday the US is against any violent and extra-legal overthrow of the Philippine government.

During his last briefing before the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) at the Dusit Hotel in Makati City, Ricciardone said the US supports changes in leadership if these changes are carried out within the bounds of the Constitution.

"I’ve said publicly and privately to people, if you wanted to know the attitude of the US on political change, we are for it," he said. "We think change is an important thing in any living, breathing dynamic political system."

However, Ricciardone also warned that destabilization calls against the government would only weaken the country.

"The worst option that I can imagine and the only option that we, in the United States of America, would actively oppose is the violent, extra-legal overthrow of the government. We are friends. We don’t want to see that happen."

The US envoy leaves Manila tomorrow after a three-year tour of duty.

He declined to confirm a report that he met with former Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and National Labor Relations Commissioner Roy Señeres, who is allegedly behind destabilization plots against the government — allegations which Señeres has denied.

"People sometimes boast about that and they suggest that we are supporting them," he said. "We just want to make clear that we support Philippine democracy."

"The US and other countries in the world recognize (President Arroyo) as the lawfully, constitutionally elected leader of this great country and if someone wants to change that and you want to do it, you better do it within your Constitution," he added.

The opposition and some former allies of Mrs. Arroyo have called for her ouster because of the government’s failure to push for reforms and what they perceive to be worsening corruption in government. The President defended her administration by saying it is committed to making urgent reforms.

Ricciardone said his biggest disappointment during his tenure as ambassador to Manila was in not seeing more trade and investment flow into the Philippines.

"I wish I could have seen more trade and investments happen," he said. "I would like to see it rise, the trade and investments."

Ricciardone recalled that, during his first FOCAP briefing in Manila, he had cited corruption and weakness in the rule of law as factors that discouraged foreign investments and posed a challenge to the Arroyo administration.

"Three years later, despite major advances and truly heroic efforts by some selfless leaders in government, in business and the NGO (non-government organization) community, Filipino leaders still continue to emphasize that combating corruption and strengthening the rule of law are at the heart of solutions to many of the problems afflicting the Philippines today," he said.