Arroyo seeks greater support
Arroyo seeks greater support
BAGUIO, Philippines (AFP): Philippine President Gloria Arroyo
on Saturday handed out more benefits to the military while
appealing for greater support amid uncertainty over her
prospective choices for defense secretary and military chief of
staff.
Speaking to active and retired officers at the elite
Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in the northern resort city of
Baguio, Arroyo stressed the military's role in the peaceful
uprising that toppled her predecessor, Joseph Estrada, on Jan.
20.
Arroyo told officers she saw herself "as one of the guys" and
stressed that "I feel confident I can count on you just as I
counted on you in (in the uprising against Estrada) and in the
difficult days afterwards."
She did not elaborate on the "difficult days afterwards" but
there were reports of destabilization plots being hatched against
her newly-installed government at the time.
The president also announced a new program with the
agriculture department to make staple foods -- rice and sugar --
available at military camp stores at lower prices and to provide
assistance to soldiers and their families in agricultural
projects.
It was the latest of a series of Arroyo's speeches before the
military and police whose abandonment of Estrada on Jan. 19, was
considered the crucial act that finally led to the disgraced
president's ousting.
In previous speeches, she has also announced hikes in military
and police benefits while emphasizing that she will consult with
them on various security issues including her plan to reopen
peace talks with communist and Muslim separatist guerrillas.
Her speech at the PMA came after she announced on Tuesday that
she was letting her military chief of staff, General Angelo Reyes
retire in March despite a two-year extension of his term granted
by Estrada.
The announcement of Reyes's retirement came after retired
generals began questioning the extension and campaigned for his
replacement.
Reyes had led the military in withdrawing their support for
Estrada at the height of massive street demonstrations calling
for Estrada's ousting over a growing corruption crisis.
The military's withdrawal of support and the resignation of
key cabinet members convinced Estrada to leave the presidential
palace, allowing Arroyo to be sworn in as president.
In her speech, Arroyo acknowledged that Reyes, a former friend
of Estrada, had helped turn the tide against the ex-president and
stressed that when he swung his support behind her, he did not
ask anything for himself, including an extension of his term.