President Arroyo Sunday said no one can force her to resign her post amid the numerous controversies hounding her administration and the First Family.
Mrs. Arroyo insisted that she has still the power and authority to decide the workings of government and no one else, the President said in a speech after a private mass with her her family and friends in Malacañang,
Ako ang Pangulo. Wala ng iba. Ako ang magpapasya sa mga usapin sa pamahalaan, hindi yung ibang wala sa tungkulin," she said.
(I am the President, no one else. I am the one who decides on the issues in government and not those who are not in government.)
The President added that the members of the First Family are not using her position as leverage to promote their own business interest.
"Ang aking pamilya ay hindi nagnenegosyo sa pamahalaan(My family is not treating the government as a business venture)," she said, reacting to allegations of ousted House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. that the First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo and his son, Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo have been involved in smuggling operations.
She also reiterated that she will step down when her term ends in 2010 as mandated in the Constitution.
Though acknowledging two EDSA People Powers—first in 1986 and the other in 2001, Mrs. Arroyo said the international community would not tolerate another bloodless revolt of the people which would oust her from her post.
"The world won’t forgive another EDSA revolt in 2008. Who would invest in the Philippines if that would happen? We all know that I am not perfect but God knows how I worked hard everyday to bring positive change," she said
The President also assured the public that those who would be proven guilty in the overpriced national broadband network (NBN) mess would be charged before the proper venue
"Pananagutin natin sila. Galit ang tao sa kurakot. Ganon din ako (We will make them pay. People are angry at greedy and corrupt people. So am I)," she added.
Senate witness Rodolfo Noel "Jun" Lozada Jr. earlier testified before the Blue Ribbon Committee on the government’s NBN deal with China’s ZTE Corp. claiming it was overpriced by $130 million.
The excess money was meant to the kickback of resigned chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. for brokering the project, Lozada said.
Last Saturday, President Arroyo admitted that she was told about the purported corruption in government’s scrapped broadband project with China before the signing of the contract.
"Nagsumbong sa akin the night before the signing of the supply contract… So, papaano mo naman maka-cancel the night before, meron kang ibang bansang kausap?" Mrs. Arroyo said in an interview on dzRH.
(I was told about corruption the night before the signing of the supply contract. How could we cancel it the night before the signing, given that another country was involved in this contract?)
The President added: "So, tuloy iyong signing pero sa unang pagkakataon, kinausap ko kaagad iyong Pangulo ng China para sabihin sa kaniya na kailangan kanselahin iyong proyekto."
(So, the signing pushed through but for the first time I immediately talked to the Chinese president to tell him that we needed to cancel the project because of this issue)
Mrs. Arroyo said the Chinese government was initially shocked but eventually it conceded.
The President said she was assured by the Chinese government that the relations between the Philippines and China would not be affected despite the cancellation of the alleged irregular NBN project.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=110169
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