President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines came under intense pressure yesterday after she admitted discussing last year's vote count with an election official, with opponents demanding that she resign and even supporters saying she must regain the people's trust.
A somber Arroyo broke her silence on Monday in a three-week-old scandal over wiretap recordings, acknowledging in a televised speech that she talked to an election official about protecting a million-vote victory margin in May last year presidential polls. But she denied rigging the polls and said she won't resign, apologizing for the lapse and appealing for unity.
Arroyo left many questions unanswered about the recordings, and opposition politicians vowed to pursue protests and legal steps against her, maintaining she cheated her way to victory.
Her spokesman, Ignacio Bunye, insisted yesterday that "nothing has been violated and there is no cause for impeachment." He said the wiretaps recordings were still being investigated.
"We believe that the president will be given a new chance to pursue the reforms she has started," he said, adding, "Today, in our country, there is a group that with or without this tape controversy, will try to sow chaos."
The opposition said Arroyo should step down.
"I wish she would examine her conscience and look at herself in the mirror and ask herself if she can still lead the country," opposition Representative Francis Escudero said.
Arroyo's former national security adviser, Representative Roilo Golez, she should resign because she has lost her moral authority and because the scandal would paralyze Congress when in convenes next month.
Senate President Franklin Drillon, an Arroyo ally, said there was no basis for asking Arroyo to resign but added that: "The president should take steps to bring back the trust of her leadership."
Arroyo also has been damaged by accusations that her son and brother-in-law, both members of Congress, pocketed huge illegal gambling payoffs. The two have denied the allegations, the subject of a Senate hearing.
The battle over Arroyo's future now moves to Congress, where pro-Arroyo lawmakers, who hold a majority in both houses, want to conclude a weeklong inquiry into the wiretaps.
Escudero objected to closing the inquiry, and said the administration was pushing the opposition "outside the legal framework. They are closing legal avenues available to the people seeking the appropriate punishment for the president."
Such comments are explosive because they suggest a move toward the "people power" revolts that ousted late dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and Arroyo's predecessor, Joseph Estrada, in 2001.
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