Support for Philippine President Crumbles

By PAUL ALEXANDER, Associated Press Writer
30 minutes ago

MANILA, Philippines - Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's presidency was in tatters Friday, her base of support eroding by the hour, as former backers abandoned the Philippine leader and added to calls for her resignation over an election scandal.


But in a radio address as thousands of people protested against her in Manila's financial district, Arroyo defiantly vowed not to quit, criticized those urging her to resign — including former President Corazon Aquino, a close ally — and said she was forging ahead by naming a new Cabinet.

"The Philippines has fallen into a dangerous pattern, where the answer to every crisis is to subvert due process rather than work within the system," Arroyo said. "This must stop. I was duly elected to uphold the constitution and ensure that the institutions of the nation were strengthened, not weakened."

Despite her effort to present a business-as-usual approach, Arroyo appeared to be barely holding on, with prospects rapidly fading for anything other than a peaceful handover of power to Vice President Noli de Castro, who leftist groups said must show that he's not tainted, too.


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A third of her Cabinet quit Friday, telling a news conference that Arroyo has been crippled by allegations that she rigged last year's presidential race and has lost the ability to lead. She has denied that she rigged the elections.

The Liberal Party, a key part of the ruling coalition backing Arroyo, also called for her resignation and said it would support an impeachment process if she won't yield power.

Two major business groups, the Makati Business Club and the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, also jumped on the bandwagon, as did a coalition of nongovernment groups that backed her ascension to the presidency during the 2001 "people power" revolt that ousted predecessor