Arroyo again insists there will be polls in 2010

How many times will she and the Palace say it? Once again, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo insists that the 2010 elections will push through.

“Let me say in no uncertain terms, there will be elections in 2010," Mrs. Arroyo said at a press conference in Davao City on Friday.

Mrs. Arroyo made the assurance a day after former President Fidel Ramos apparently criticized the chief executive by allusion.

“Going up to the summit is optional, but coming down is mandatory…Bato-bato sa langit, ang tamaan wag magalit," Ramos said before six presidential aspirants reminding them that being in power is temporary.

Reports are persistent that Mrs. Arroyo, whose term ends next year, will seek a congressional post representing her home province of Pampanga.

Her critics likewise surmise that while the administration insists that there will be elections, the polls would happen under a parliamentary form of government where Mrs. Arroyo would be elected as prime minister.

Mrs. Arroyo’s allies in Congress have been pushing for Charter change that could pave the way for the abolition of the presidential system of government.

But the President dismissed critics' doubts on her sincerity. She said those questioning the administration's resolve in ensuring that the elections would be held as scheduled “are undermining the country's commitment to a vibrant democracy."

She congratulated the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for "putting the finishing touches to put in place the automation of next year's polls."

"I ask everybody to support the Comelec in making our first nationwide automated elections a success. So that will give a signal that our democracy is strong and vibrant," Mrs Arroyo added.

Not the first time

This isn't the first time that Mrs. Arroyo and Malacañang assured the public that there will be elections next year.

Last May, during the merger of Lakas-CMD and her party, Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi), Mrs. Arroyo vowed that there would be polls in 2010.

“Let this merger of Lakas and Kampi be tangible proof of the administration’s readiness and determination to help ensure that the elections do push through," she said.

In June, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, on separate occasions, said elections would be held in 2010.

In text message to GMANews.TV, presidential adviser Gabriel Claudio said the Comelec and all the prospective candidates and political parties including Lakas-Kampi-CMD were gearing up for next year’s elections.

Claudio made the statement after six presidential hopefuls on Thursday signed a covenant thwarting any move to amend the Constitution and change the form of government before 2010.

The signatories were former President Joseph Estrada; Senators Francis Escudero, Richard Gordon, Loren Legarda, and Manuel Roxas II; and Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio.

Claudio welcomed the move. "The administration itself categorically supports the holding of elections as scheduled next year and will do everything within its power to support the Comelec in ensuring clean, honest, efficient and credible elections through automation."

The signing of the covenant was initiated by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and National Movement for Free Elections during the forum dubbed “Ang Mamamayang Pilipino…Alisto! Talakayan sa Plaza Miranda" in Quiapo, Manila.

In a phone interview with GMANews.TV, lawyer Howard Calleja, PPCRV national legal counsel, expressed hope that the covenant would pave the way for a new kind of politics in the country.

"The signatories, in signing the covenant, promised that they will push for an issue-based politics and will not resort to guns, goons, and gold," Calleja said. - GMANews.TV