Press Release
May 3, 2006

PHILIPPINES NOW AT A CROSSROADS -- ANGARA

While the People Power Revolution in the Philippines inspired similar movements in the former Czechoslovakia, Georgia, Ukraine and now Nepal, it has weakened democracy in the country, said Senator Edgardo J. Angara.

Speaking before a forum on the principles of democracy in Taipei, Taiwan, Angara said people power should only be resorted to under exceptional circumstances where the established constitutional process has failed.

"The Philippines encountered early successes in economic development but the aberration that was Martial Law weakened institutions of democracy," Angara said.

He added that its ill effects are still reflected today, since the country has a highly politicized military, a weakened judiciary and a media that has lost its watchdog function. And this is the reason why the Philippines is now at a crossroads.

The forum which saw the participation of 600 delegates, was held to educate the public on the principles of democracy and for them to share their experiences and draw commonalities from it.

Angara also met with Taipei mayor Ying Jeou Ma, President of the Kuomintang party, who is a strong contender for the 2008 Presidential elections in Taiwan.

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