Press Release
February 10, 2007

STATEMENT Of SENATORS
JOKER P. ARROYO AND RALPH G. RECTO

We ran for the Senate and won on the Arroyo administration slate. Nothing that has happened since gives us reason not to do the same in our reelection bid.

We have opposed the President on many major issues, before the Supreme Court no less. And we won.

We fought the Venable contract which involved American money to change the Constitution. We fought the People's Initiative to do the same. We fought the emasculation of Congress by EO 464 and put the PCGG back under the law when it tried to rise above it. We fought Proclamation 1017, which curtailed freedom of assembly and freedom of the press.

We have reported out and condemned anomalous deals and contracts involving PIATCO, the TAX CREDIT scandal, NAPOCOR and MASINLOC biddings, the BOLANTE fertilizer scam and others. We never allowed our committees to be used for harassment or any other purpose than to find the truth.

Yes, the administration has committed grave blunders. But through all these, the President never tried to dissuade us from opposing her.

Why then should we not run again in the administration Senate slate? It has never tried to undermine our independence or bind our conscience or stand in the way of what we believed had to be said and done. It has respected if it did not always enjoy our roles as senator.

In a crisis, one must take a stand.

The opposition want to impeach the President. That is their constitutional prerogative. But one has yet to hear the opposition denounce attempts by military adventurers to topple the government and set up another one outside the Constitution. They have steadfastly refused to recognize the constitutional succession of the vice- president.

In short, the opposition want to write their own ticket and take back power on the broken back of the Constitution.

That is unacceptable on our part and self-contradictory on theirs. They fought, commendably, the foul attempt to change the Constitution but they will not uphold the Constitution.

The economy is improving. Inflation and unemployment are dropping. True, the rich are getting richer and these improvements have yet to be felt by the vast majority of the poor. But no question, little by little, the people are getting better off.

The opposition have yet to explain what part they intend to play if they achieve their ambition in this midterm election. No one can deny that the country is moving forward. The political choice in the coming election is to trip up the country or help it along.

On balance, until the opposition can offer something more than the impeachment of the President, the country is better off letting this administration complete the work it is doing while keeping a close watch on anything else it may attempt.

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