Vice President Jejomar Binay has agreed to form an advisory council in the event that President Benigno Aquino III is forced to resign by a people power-like movement in the run-up to the 29th anniversary of the first People Power Revolution on Feb. 25.
Former Tarlac Gov. Tingting Cojuangco on Friday said that her husband, former Tarlac Rep. Peping Cojuangco, who is Mr. Aquino鈥檚 uncle, was able to convince Binay of the idea. She said Binay gave the commitment in a meeting with her husband last week.
鈥淗e [Binay) did agree to an advisory council, like a Sukarno-guided government,鈥� Tingting told members of the Capampangan in Media Inc. in a forum at the Holiday Inn at the Clark Freeport on Friday.
鈥淲hy would Binay not welcome it?鈥� she said, noting that in the Constitution, a vice president succeeds a president who fails to perform his duties or leaves office.
Margarita 鈥淭ingting鈥� Cojuangco. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Binay denies it
But a spokesperson for Binay on Friday denied that that the vice president had agreed to the creation of any such body.
鈥淭he vice president did not discuss the creation of a so-called advisory body with Mr. Peping Cojuangco or any political personality or group, nor does he intend to discuss this issue with any personality or group,鈥� spokesperson Joey Salgado said in a text message on Friday.
Salgado said he was told Binay had met with Peping Cojuangco in early February 鈥渙n a totally unrelated matter鈥�.
He said that Binay, even if he is the constitutionally mandated successor, has reiterated that he was opposed to the resignation of the President.
Ouster moves
The Aquino administration is reeling from a public backlash over the massacre of 44 Philippine National Police Special Action Force (SAF) commandos by Muslim secessionists in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao province, on Jan. 25.
Various groups left unsatisfied with Mr. Aquino鈥檚 explanations about the tragic operation, including those demanding that he resign, are expected to converge at Edsa during the Edsa I People Power Revolution commemorative activities starting on Jan. 22.
The National Transformation Council (NTC), a group that calls itself an ecumenical and interfaith collective, will be holding a Mass and rally at the Edsa Shrine at 2 p.m. on Feb. 22. The leftist Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said it would form a human chain for the Edsa 1 anniversary.
The Cojuangco couple have admitted to being among those asking for Mr. Aquino to step down, but insist that they do not favor nor are party to coup plots.
Tingting on Friday said that the rumored coup plot implicating them was 鈥渁 spin of Malaca帽ang.鈥�
She said a coup would not be needed. 鈥淐ivilians can do it,鈥� she said, referring to people power movements.
鈥淚 think this is going to build up,鈥� she said, referring to rallies during the Edsa anniversaries.
No resignation
Malaca帽ang on Friday remained firm that the President will complete his term and step down on June 30, 2016鈥攁nd not a day earlier.
鈥淭he President will step down on June 30, 2016. I can tell you that. Any reports or stories of any other exit plan apart from that are fictitious,鈥� said deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte.
Valte said the calls for the President鈥檚 ouster by various sectors 鈥渋s part of the democratic free space鈥� of citizens.
鈥淥bviously, we disagree with their statements and their calls to action,鈥� she said.
Those calling for Mr. Aquino鈥檚 resignation or ouster believe he has to be accountable for the Mamasapano debacle.
Valte said Malaca帽ang does not 鈥渟hare that same perception鈥� that the calls for Mr. Aquino鈥檚 ouster are 鈥済aining ground.鈥�
鈥淭he President is no stranger to calls for resignation. In the course of the more or less five years that he has been in office, we have seen these sporadic calls from different groups, and they always have not resulted in a situation that would please them鈥攐r at least it has not been鈥攊t has not resulted favorably for them,鈥� Valte said.
Sukarno-type rule?
Tingting Cojuangco did not give details of the Sukarno-type guided government that they are proposing.
鈥淕uided democracy鈥� was the political system that Sukarno, Indonesia鈥檚 independence leader and president for life, established in 1957 after a period of unstable parliamentary democracy. He said Western-style democracy was inappropriate for Indonesia鈥檚 situation. Instead, he sought a system based on the traditional village system of discussion and consensus under the guidance of village elders. In practice, Indonesia鈥檚 guided democracy was an autocratic system, where deliberations at the local level were guided by village elders but the president ran the country by decree.
Like revolutionary gov鈥檛
Tingting said the advisory council is not prohibited under the 1987 Constitution. 鈥淚t鈥檚 similar to Cory鈥檚 [Aquino] revolutionary government which, after a year, drafted a new charter,鈥� she said.
She said the NTC, which Peping supports, should form part of the next president鈥檚 advisory council. The NTC has various church denominations as members.
According to Tingting, a post-Aquino council could be a 鈥渂ig council鈥� which Binay would have to lead 鈥渨hether people like him or not.鈥�
She said her husband and Binay 鈥渟poke regularly鈥� though there have been no follow-up talks since their meeting last week.
She said their friendship goes back to 1978 when the then detained Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. ran for a seat in the interim Batasang Pambansa.
Upset with nephew
Asked why it was urgent for Mr. Aquino to resign when the national and local elections are little more than a year away, she said, 鈥淲e have to right what鈥檚 going on now.鈥�
Tingting said she and her husband were upset with their nephew when the issues of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) became public.
She said they want the President to leave because of his administration鈥檚 鈥渋nefficiency, dishonesty and corruption at every level in government, [for the] removal of safeguards versus election fraud in the Automated Election System Law and lately [for] the taking of 44 lives in the Mamasapano firefight.鈥�
Cojuangcos not thieves
鈥溾�橮eping said, 鈥楬indi kaming mga Cojuangco magnanakaw (We Cojuangcos are not thieves)鈥�,鈥� Tingting said. 鈥淐rudely speaking, this (the use of PDAF and DAP) is bribery [of legislators].鈥�
Asked if Mr. Aquino would heed the outcry and resign, Tingting said: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know him anymore.鈥�
She said her nephew used to be a 鈥渘ice boy, very amiable.鈥�
Asked how many resign movements there were now, Tingting replied: 鈥淭here are plenty who come to our house [in Forbes Park].鈥� With Nikko Dizon and Ni帽a P. Calleja
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