DAGUPAN CITY–Unless resolved with
credibility, the Garci phenomenon will continuously disturb the nation and dividethe people, said Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz.

Cruz said in a statement that," It (Garci phenomenon) is an issue that continues to haunt the conscience of people and the peace of the land. Good or bad, this is the truth. To say the opposite is but wishful thinking".

Chief State ProsecutorJovencito Zuño said the other day that former Commission on Elections (Comelec)commissioner Virgilio Garcillano is not yet off the hook in the alleged cheating that took place in the May
2004 elections. Zuño said cases against Garcillano that had been dismissed by a panel of prosecutors did not include his alleged role in the reported massive
cheating in the 2004 presidential elections.

Cruz said,"The Garci issue is very much bigger than a person. It is fundamentally the serious matter of the legitimacy of the present national leadership—not to mention its big loss of credibility before the serious and thinking populace".

The prelate noted that there are those happily gearing up for the alleged candidacy of a person. At the same time, many are those who are sadly reminded of the workings of still the same Comelec, he said.

He said certain politicians are eagerly looking forward to have a person in their ticket. But there are certain groupings and entities that are more and more annoyed by the transactional politics in the country, he added.

Now, it's back to square one: impeachment case, with Garci question having come up, the so called “Hello, Garci” tapes are once again brought to mind, Cruz said.

And this is necessarily accompanied by no less than the impeachment process twice shelved not really by reason of demerit by mere tyranny of numbers, he said.

There is moral certitude that the same case will be once again—for the third
time—raised in the halls of Congress, Cruz said.

"And when once again thrown out, the present Malacañang occupant again also
loses by default—by denying her to have her day in court, in this particular still in socio-political open wound with serious fundamental socio-moral dimensions, begs for closure," he added.

DAGUPAN CITY–For Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, "it's time to go for the national leadership".

Perhaps, the time has come for the national leadership to become some kind of a hero instead of a downright villain, Cruz said in a statement yesterday.

By now, it should have learned the admittedly hard and painful lesson that it is neither truly meant to govern nor really capable of good governance, he added.

"The logical conclusion is but-one: it appears that the time has come for the national leadership to go, to renounce the office, to move somewhere, to leave everything behind," he said.

Cruz enumerated several reasons. He said for a start, it (national leadership) faces so many serious and standing socio-moral predicaments and political adversities.

He said it continues to be accused of lying, cheating and stealing, the long hanging threat of impeachment proceedings, the actual worsening economy notwithstanding all loud and repeated official protestations to the contrary, people’s hunger grows while their death for lack of medicine multiplies and there is not only less education available for the children but also less
educated youth.

He noted that there are its often failed attempts at having power more than that allowed by law. This is not to mention its fast becoming gun-powder mentality that translates into many and still continuing political killings and disappearances, he said. There are more and more rallies of dissent plus bigger and bigger marches of contempt and it has even become the target not only of creative jokes but also the object of sickening texts, he added.

Cruz also said its pretence at super regions is simply met with super typhoons. "Pure coincidence or actual design, there are one too many natural disasters coupled with many man-made calamities", he said.

Cruz also cited problems on illegal drugs, illegal gambling, graft and corruption that continue to hound the national leadership.

And there came the desperate government plan of changing the fundamental law of the land—for any and all conceivable reasons except the common welfare, he said. There must be another planet where those possessed and obsessed proponents of CHA-CHA (Charter Change) come from to preach that national abundance, progress and development are necessarily connected with a
parliamentary form of government!, he said.

But then as the infamous “people’s initiative” was unmasked and discarded, the insistent “constituent assembly” was all of a sudden set aside on account of wide and strong contrary public outcry, Cruz added.

In the same way, the much publicized ASEAN Summit was likewise suddenly cancelled allegedly for simple climatic reasons, he said.

"National leadership: time to go?," Cruz asked.

DAGUPAN CITY–Thousands of anti-Charte Change advocates through the Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass) mode are expected to air their collective sentiments today (Dec. 15)at the city plaza here against this government-backed initiative in amending the 1987 Constitution as text messages regarding this gathering started to spread acrosss the province inviting concerned people to unite.

One text message sent by City Administrator Rafael Baraan to this corner urged the people to join and show their disgust versus Con-Ass by joining this people's assembly and prayer rally.

"Tama na. Sobra na (Enough. It's too much)," Baraan said.

No less than Mayor Benjamin Lim of this city expressed support to this gathering led by Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz.

Lim is reportedly set to challenge House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr in his
congressional post in next year's elections. De Venecia is the Chief Architect of the proposed Charter Change in the Philippines.

Lim is expected to mobilize his troops to join the rallyists.

Meanwhile, Cruz again assailed the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation
(Pagcor) for "stopping a prayer rally" planned by advocates of Charter change
through Constituent Assembly led by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP) on Dec. 15 at the Luneta Park.

Cruz said in a statement that "In these turbulent days and disturbing times, Pagcor appears to be altogether at the forefront in
shielding the national leadership and its die-hard allies".

He said this was manifested anew by this government gambling agency against the CBCP scheduled a prayer rally at theLuneta Park as a legitimate expression of dissent to the now infamous “Cha-Cha express” through an aptly called “Con-Ass”. The said gathering was scheduled after several meetings and consultations with many sectors of society, he said.

"Lo and behold, when CBCP representatives were making the usual arrangements with the Luneta officials, they were told that Pagcor already had the place reserved specifically on 15 December 2006," Cruz noted.

" How interesting! How timely! How coincidental!," he said.

He added that Pagcor appears to be the fast emerging lead agency not only in the protection of the present administration, but also in the promotion of government propaganda. Its direct appendage to the office of the national leadership with a staff function could not have been deliberately done for either innocent reason or noble cause, he said.

Cruz said this distinct Pagcor role is neither a secret nor a revelation as this fact seems to have been already long established. It already had a loud official start on the occasion of the 2004 national elections, the prelate said.

He added it is enough to recall the omnipresent street cleaners with their
advertising blue shirts. With the end of the elections, they were also quickly terminated-with some of them not even getting paid after having been
used, he said.

Cruz said it is also said that multi-million Pagcor rake-ins go the intelligence fund of the presidential office. There seems to be the rule and practice that this particular fund is neither open nor subject to accounting, Cruz observed.

" How convenient! Furthermore, it also seems that other multi-million Pagcor
take-ins go to the so called presidential “social fund” whose interpretations and pursuant disbursements are anybody’s guess. How intriguing!," he said.

Cruz also said there is a pending legislative bill categorically forbidding government officials to go to the Pagcor casinos. "If the Philippine Gambling Corporation is that innocent and beneficial, why would such a blunt prohibition be even thought of- proposing it no less than to be made into
law?", he asked.

He added," A corporate promoter of vice is driving away a socio-spiritual gathering. There is always a first time. The present administration has a good record of having many dubious firsts-except in corruption which merely ranked second in Asia," Cruz said.

But despite the postponement of the Dec. 15 Luneta Park rally to Dec. 17., various Church-led prayer rallies will still be held in different parts of the country, including Dagupan City on Dec. 15 as originally planned, according to Cruz.

Cruz has met more than 50 priests under his archdiocese and also the separate
dioceses in the cities of Urdaneta and Alaminos for massive coordination in
their respective areas with various organizations for this prayer rally.The
participants, mostly students from Catholic schools, will start converging at
the St. John The Evangelist Church around 1:00 p.m. Friday and march towards
the city plaza.