The fight is not over yet

         While a lot of Filipinos seem to have been taken aback by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines’ statement on President Gloria Arroyo’s resignation, it only stirred more controversy with most vowing to continue their pressure on either the forcible ouster of GMA or force her resignation.

          Expressing his disappointment with the CBCP position, former Speaker Jose de Venecia flew yesterday to New York to add an international dimension to the ongoing political controversy over Arroyo’s continued stay in Malacañang.

          She should gracefully resign, was how the former House leader put it.

          But the most telling development in the ongoing controversy were the words from Chief Justice Reynato Puno who pointed out that what is just needed now to clearly delineate Executive Order 464, the power of other President to order executive officials to avail of executive privilege.

          And former Chief Justice Panganiban last night pointed out that there is no need actually to abolish the EO because most of its coverage had already been nullified by the high court during his watch.

          In short, that’s like opening the Pandora’s box to the many anomalies in the executive department that may be targeted for investigation by the Legislature.

          But the legislative had apparently neither escaped the notice of the prelate. They warned the body against allowing themselves to be distracted from their fundamental objectives in undertaking the search for truth by their personal interests. In short, many of those now in the Senate and the House often have their own vested interests to protect and their objectives to achieve.

          In short, a presidential candidate for 2010 may be ordering the probe and re-directing it to promote his own candidacy or to so impress the public of his probity. And that, the bishops pointed out, does not really lead to the truth.

          The reaction to the CBCP statement was just as divided among the members of the Catholic laity and clergy, indicating the loss of credibility one way or the other of the prelates.

          The leftists remained fixed on their wish to have GMA removed one way or the other. Some, like Fr. Robert Reyes, continued to hurl accusations of some bishops having allowed their reluctance to part with their “donations” from the Palace as behind their effete stand.

          Well, the hate syndrome had so filled the hearts of some anti-GMA forces that they are now calling for the ouster of Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, as CBCP president.

          So, who is the target of the ouster move? GMA or Lagdameo?

          The irrationality of advocates of hate.*

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