The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) issued an unsolicited Christmas advice Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo; step down now because the next year will be very bleak for you and your ilk. 

According to Danilo “Ka Daning” Ramos, secretary general of KMP, “the necessary factors to launch an reinvigorated ouster campaign against Gloria are now materializing and the regime can do little to stop it. Historically speaking, ousting presidents in our country have occurred at the first quarter of the year given this and the proper handling of the following factors; Gloria would be out of Malacanang before April fool’s day,”

“First, is still the growing clamor for her ouster from the basic masses of the people and it has also reached the middle class as well the sections of the ruling elite. Second is that by January and February the full impact of the economic crisis will be felt by the populace, with the decrease on OFW remittances, weakening of the peso and the full implementation of the EVAT.  Third, she did not address the Hello Garci scandal as well as the fertilizer scam and a slew of other scandals but instead covered them up or evaded them. Fourth, in the process of evading truth Gloria created more enemies. Fifth, the New People’s Army’s (NPA) tactical offensives are growing in frequency and intensity; effectively debilitating the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Sixth, the AFP itself is divided and the troops are very restive, coup de etats may erupt if Gloria is still not ousted. Seven, the section of the business sector who is still with Gloria are now reconsidering their position considering that Malacanang is now cracking down on business men, by threatening them with takeovers eg. Meralco and Hacienda Luisita. Eighth, the former staunch allies of Gloria like Fidel Ramos, and Jose de Venecia, now have waning support for her, because of her unquenchable thirst for power. Lastly, the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has a new and more assertive president, who will not kowtow to the government’s line and may soon call for her resignation,” said the peasant leader

These factors are building for the ouster of Gloria in the near future. While these are building up, the administration is also trying to do some trouble-shooting measures to ensure that even when she is ousted she would not be held accountable for her actions like appointing Artemio Panganiban as new Supreme Court chief justice and Merciditas Gutierrez as the new Ombudsman, both of whom are close to the Arroyos,” said Ramos.
“Aside from Gloria’s anti-people policies and scam riddled government, her classic Machiavellian attitude toward getting what she wants has further isolated her even from her closest allies. In other words,ginamit lang ni Gloria sina Ramos at JDV para makuha ang gusto niya at ngayon ay ibinasura na sila,” ended Ramos. # # #
 

KMP - 24 December 2005