The President Must Resign Now

The President Must Resign Now

(Statement of the University Council (UC) of the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, Quezon City on the political crisis facing the Arroyo administration.)

The pursuit of the truth and the quest for a democratic society are integral to the university’s mission in society. In the conduct of its work, the University of the Philippines is strictly guided by the paramount values of honesty, personal integrity, and responsibility.

We have strong reason to believe that the recent actions of the Arroyo administration in relation to the so-called “Gloriagate” tapes, the initial attempt at a cover-up, the use of threat and intimidation to prevent public access to these tapes, and the clever admission of half-truths to conceal a serious offense, among others constitute a direct assault on nearly all the values we hold sacred in academe.
A careful analysis of the content and context of the recorded conversations between the President and Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano clearly shows that there has been a betrayal of public trust, if not a subversion of the people’s will in the last presidential election.

Grave economic problems confront the nation today. At no other time have we needed a leader who can heal the divisions in our society and inspire hope especially among our young people. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has done enough damage to our public institutions and to the country’s self-esteem. We cannot afford to be led any further by a dishonest president who has shown no qualms about using the awesome powers of her office for purely personal interests.

The University Council (UC) of UP Diliman, Quezon City – composed of professors, associate professors and assistant professors and chaired by the Chancellor – calls on the people to guard against foreign meddling and military takeover in charting the nation’s future in the event of her removal from office. UP Diliman faculty members will join the people in their struggle to build a progressive society and a responsible government and in their commitment to uphold civilian supremacy in government and governance.

We thus call on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to immediately resign.

The UP Diliman UC also approved the inclusion of the College of Law statement as an annex to the Council’s statement:

Giovanni A. Tapang, Ph.D.
National Institute of Physics
University of the Philippines Diliman
13 July 2005