Press Release
June 15, 2009

NO NEED FOR TRANSITION GOVERNMENT -- PIMENTEL

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) today said the transition government being floated by Malacañang is nothing but another ploy to justify President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's continued stay in power after her term expires on June 30, 2010.

Pimentel said this can only be described as an illusory and unacceptable proposal because it is based on the presumption that the present presidential system of government will be replaced by a parliamentary system through a major amendment to the Constitution.

"Before you can have a transition government, you have to amend the Constitution first. And when you speak of a transition government, that would mean allowing the outgoing President to stay in office in a holdover or temporary capacity until the succeeding head of government is elected into office," he said.

He said the proposal, broached by National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, betrays once more the fact that Mrs. Arroyo does not intend to step down once her term is over. He said the President is doing everything in her power to circumvent the constitutional ban against her reelection.

Unless the Constitution is amended, Pimentel said there is no room for the Gonzales proposal except perhaps if she will suspend the Constitution, and with the support of her loyal military general, declare herself a dictator.

He said the idea of Mrs. Arroyo becoming a transition president may perhaps be an acceptable and viable proposition if she has been an effective, honest and wise head of government beloved and trusted by her countrymen.

"The sad truth is that Mrs. Arroyo is not widely regarded as a popular president of the republic. She is being hounded by allegations of abuse of power, corruption, electoral fraud, and extra-judicial killings. She has the dubious distinction of facing four impeachment attempts and a series coup attempts," he said.

Pimentel said public sentiment is reflected in survey after survey showing Mrs. Arroyo consistently obtaining a negative approval and trust rating. If she has a sense of delicadeza, she should have resigned a long time ago, the opposition leader said.

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