Former Senior Government Officials

We, Former Senior Government Officials, warn our fellow citizens that the evil of illegitimacy that has stained our nation's political life in the past 9 years is threatening to seep like sewage into our government even after June 30, 2010. The illegitimate GMA administration that has been marked by lying as in her Rizal Day declaration she will not run, by cheating as in Hello Garci, by stealing as in the NBN-ZTE deal and by tolerating abuse of power as in the Ampatuan massacre, is seeking to perpetuate itself beyond even its Constitutionally mandated expiration date. We warn of an emerging conspiracy to continue illegitimate governance.

Our countrymen look forward to the May 2010 elections as a chance for an orderly, peaceful and democratic change to elect a new legitimate administration that can lead our people to move beyond this unsatisfactory, distrusted and detested regime. Aspiring leaders have filed their candidacies. Political campaigns have been organized. Issues and platforms are being debated. We see in the coming elections our chance to re-establish the democratic principle that only an authentic and unquestioned electoral mandate defines the will of the people for the kind of leadership and governance they wish to prevail over the public affairs of the nation. This is the principle that is under grave threat today.

First, the risks of failures in the 2010 elections are increasing every day. All preparations for the coming elections occurred under the GMA administration and the Melo Comelec, as the Abalos Comelec, are mostly or totally composed of GMA appointees. Quoting from a PDI editorial, "Unfortunately, the trend of its recent decisions is rapidly dissipating the perception that the Melo Comelec is different from the unlamented Abalos Comelec that it replaced." Deliveries, testing, calibration, validation and training for automated elections are delayed. Ballot printing is also delayed. Fears of logistical failures in providing the right set of customized ballots for each of the 1,630 towns of the country remain unresolved. Calls to prepare for a back-up manual elections are not being taken seriously. Whatever the reasons might be, however the situation might actually unfold, one thing must be made clear: failure in the 2010 elections can only be a deliberate one engineered by the GMA administration that has benefited so much from such events.   

Second, the GMA administration is taking many alarming steps to try to retain undue influence beyond its tenure. It has launched a government-funded public relations effort touting its achievements as if it were itself a contending presidential candidate. It has appointed many officials in positions with tenures well beyond June 30, 2010. It is attempting to justify its intention to make what would be a patently "midnight appointment" of a successor Chief Justice of the Supreme Court within the period prohibited by the Constitution. And, lest our people forget, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is running for Congress in the coming elections. We cannot underestimate the scale and scope of this administration's use of government resources for the election of its favored candidates.

Sound the alarms! Shout out warnings! The orderly, peaceful and democratic transition to a new legitimate administration is in grave danger. There is only one source capable of posing this danger and that is the evil power of an illegitimate president seeking protection from accountability for her crimes. There is only one power that can face and surmount this danger and that is the power of an aware, vigilant, organized and outraged people.       

 

FOR REFERENCE:

Angelito Banayo
Former Presidential Adviser
on Political Affairs
Mobiline: 0917 743 1722

Leonor Briones
Former National Treasurer
Office of the National Treasury
Mobiline: 0917 535 9884

Cielito Habito
Former Director-General
National Economic Development Authority
Mobiline: 0917 500 5224

Melito Salazar, Jr.
Former Member of the Monetary Board Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
Mobiline: 0920 952 8247