Yesterday, I got a tip that Ateneo was releasing a statement on PGMA. When I read the statement and press release, I noticed that the signatory was very particular - from Concerned Faculty, Professionals and Staff of the Ateneo de Manila University. Specifically, they only numbered 180 out of the estimated 1,000 fulltime/part time Faculty and Professionals and Staff (the estimate came from the office of the Vice President of the Loyola Schools).
If one were to read both the statement and the press release, one can see that the group behind it never claimed that they represent the whole of the University System, hence their distinction (Concerned Faculty...). Nevertheless, the stand of the group is consistently admirable and follows the earlier anti-PGMA stand of the Ateneo Employees Union and Staff (who did a noise barrage rally last week) as well as that of the Ateneo Law School. They add to the growing number of schools, institutions, professional groups and middle class who have called upon PGMA to step down; the group also specifies its call to reforms. With permission from the group, I am reprinting both the press release and the statement here:
Concerned Ateneo faculty and staff ask for GMA's resignation and call for reforms
Concerned members of the Ateneo de Manila University community called on President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to step down "to defend the institution of the presidency and our fragile democracy."
The concerned faculty, professionals, and staff of the university said, "We pray that she would set the example of the kind of humility and self-sacrifice needed to confront our national crisis, by voluntarily giving up power."
In a statement released to the press yesterday, 180 members of the Ateneo community pointed out that the crisis faced by the nation today goes beyond the "'Garci tapes' and the charges of electoral fraud."
There is a fundamental "crisis of trust" that "threatens not only the President herself but a whole range of our institutions."
"We believe that the President should be made personally accountable for her actions, particularly as the country's highest official on whom the people place so much of their trust. But we also recognize that the charges against her point to much deeper problems in our electoral process, political structure and cultural system of which she is only one, albeit a central part," the statement said.
They called for a revamp of the Comelec, enjoining the chair and commissioners to resign as a step towards "wider electoral reforms." They also said the process of constitutional reform should be worked out in the political transition to clarify mechanisms for a "Constitutional Convention that will revise the charter, rework the country's political institutions and provide for democratic elections."
Consistent with the position of the Church, the concerned members of the Ateneo community called on the President to begin the process of healing by "paving the way for an orderly political transition within the framework of the Constitution." They reminded the President of her speech on Dec. 30, 2002 when she said that she "would be an instrument of unity and reform rather than of division."
Political Science chair Benjamin Tolosa explained this means following the order of succession provided for in the Constitution. Because a mere change of personalities will not solve the nation's problems, the concerned members of the Ateneo called for the creation of an independent "Truth, Reform and Reconciliation Commission". The vital task of the Commission-more than pinpointing legal culpability-is to aid the process of "cleansing and healing in our society." The process will be political rather than judicial. In the short term, rebuilding trust and renewing hope especially among the most disadvantaged requires immediate governance reforms that will address urgent and pervasive problems of "corruption, lack of transparency and efficiency in the delivery of services, tax evasion, and poor education, housing and health services," the statement said.
*** statement ***
A Call to National Healing in a Time of CrisisThe crisis we currently face presents us with extremely difficult dilemmas and choices as a people.We believe that the President should be made personally accountable for her actions, particularly as the country's highest official on whom the people place so much of their trust. But we also recognize that the charges against her point to much deeper problems in our electoral process, political structure and cultural system of which she is only one, albeit a central part.We see the need to defend and strengthen our very fragile institutions, especially our constitutional system and the rule of law. But we also recognize that part of their present crisis of legitimacy comes from their unresponsiveness to the majority and the crying need for fundamental institutional transformation.We realize that the country needs precious breathing space from political turmoil and division which prevent the government from addressing the urgent concerns of the poorest, and from pursuing its various reform programs. But we also know that a government cannot simply "move on with the business of governing" without moral legitimacy and authority to rule.We know that the present crisis requires swift and decisive action lest it lead to a prolonged stalemate that could in the end bring about greater polarization and violence. But we also discern that our cultural divisions and social wounds run very deep, and bringing about unity, healing and renewed hope will require much time, dedicated action, personal sacrifice and profound conversion.We, concerned faculty, professionals and staff of the Ateneo de Manila University call on the President to begin the process of healing by paving the way for an orderly political transition within the framework of the Constitution. We appeal to the generosity of spirit she expressed in her December 30, 2002 speech, when after deep discernment she said that she would be an instrument of unity and reform rather than of division. We pray that she would set the example of the kind of humility and self-sacrifice needed to confront our national crisis, by voluntarily giving up power. The crisis of authority we face today goes beyond the "Garci tapes" and the charges of electoral fraud. There is a fundamental crisis of trust which we fear threatens not only the President herself but a whole range of our institutions. We call on her to make this personal sacrifice in order to defend the institution of the presidency and our fragile democracy. We ask her to step down.Because we believe that our problems do not come solely from the President, and thuscannot be solved by a mere change of personalities, we also call for a formal process of "truth telling" through the setting up of an independent Truth, Reform and Reconciliation Commission along the South African model. The mandate of this commission will no longer be primarily the investigation of the "Garci issue" although it may form part of the agenda to bring into the open the nature of our electoral system. The process will be political rather than judicial. The objective is not to pinpoint the legal culpability of individuals, especially of witnesses, who will be protected from self-incrimination. The aim is to uncover our deep wounds of social resentment, division, oppression and injustice as a people, in the hope that by exposing them, we can begin a process of cleansing and healing in our society. Part of the task of the commission will be to identify areas of reform that can be addressed at various levels and through different mechanisms.But in order to rebuild trust and renew hope in our people, especially among those whoare always the most severely affected by crises, there is a need to effect immediatelygovernance reforms aimed at addressing urgent issues such as corruption, lack of transparency and efficiency in the delivery of services, tax evasion, and poor education, housing and health services.It is also imperative that the COMELEC be revamped. We join the call for the COMELEC chair and commissioners to resign as a crucial step towards wider electoral reforms. Finally, the process of constitutional reform should also be worked out in the political transition, so that there are clear mechanisms for a Constitutional Convention that will revise the charter, rework the country's political institutions and provide for democratic elections under this new framework.It is clear that we all need to be personally accountable for the immense and seeminglyinsurmountable problems plaguing our country. Solving our national crisis demands that we transcend our frustrations, disillusionment and cynicism, and summon our inner strengths as a people to become politically involved. In making these radical proposals, we are putting our hope and trust in the deep reserve of human dignity, goodness, energy and wisdom in our society that will allow us, with God's grace, to reimagine and rebuild our national community.
Concerned Faculty, Professionals and StaffAteneo de Manila University5 July 2005
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