Philippine president says she's not quitting

MANILA, Philippines -- Embattled President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said Thursday she won't quit and asked her entire Cabinet to resign instead to give her maneuvering room to survive her biggest crisis.

Her announcement in a hastily arranged radio address appeared to be a pre-emptive move amid rumors that at least two, and perhaps a dozen, of her Cabinet members were preparing to resign because of allegations that she fixed last year's election.

Opposition Sen. Aquilino Pimentel called it a panic move: "Like in chess, she's close to a checkmate."

If Arroyo goes down, she made clear it won't be without a fight.

"First of all, I am not resigning my office," said Arroyo, who earlier claimed her opponents have no platform other than to get rid of her and were engaged in "the most cynical manipulation" of the populace.

Catholic professors and a Protestant church group on Thursday joined the calls for Arroyo's resignation, and a three-star general quit in a move that appeared to be linked to the election scandal.

"I am asking the entire Cabinet to tender their resignations," said Arroyo, a U.S.-trained economist who has been a key ally in Washington's war on terrorism. "This is neither political ploy or gimmick. This will be a legacy."

Several Cabinet members said they supported Arroyo's request.

"What she said was very clear, including the reforms we need," Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Mike Defensor, a close Arroyo ally, told government radio. "The situation is really rotten."

But opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who finished third in the May 2004 presidential vote -- runner-up Fernando Poe Jr. died of a stroke in December -- derided Arroyo's move.

"She should be the one to resign, not the members of her Cabinet, because she is the cause of political instability and the root of political turmoil," Lacson told DZBB radio.

Political commentator Benito Lim called Arroyo's move a "desperate attempt" to hold onto power. Alex Magno, political science lecturer at the University of the Philippines, questioned whether she was only trying "to delay the inevitable."

"My sense is that this political gamble will not work because we have reached the tipping point," Magno said.

Arroyo again denied she did anything wrong in talking to an election official during the ballot count about protecting a million- vote lead, and lamented endemic corruption.

"Our political system has degenerated to such an extent that it is very difficult to live within the system with hands totally untainted," Arroyo said.

She said her new Cabinet would have a free hand in governance while she focuses on fundamental changes to the constitution and the political system.

The late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was ousted by a "people power" revolt in 1986, a model used by pro-democracy movements around the world. Arroyo took office in "people power 2," which forced out President Joseph Estrada in 2001 but led to criticism that ousting a leader had become too easy.

Arroyo warned that a third such revolt would "condemn the Philippines as a country whose political system is hopelessly unstable."

Massive street protests haven't materialized. About 5,000 left- wing protesters gathered in a Manila square Thursday, chanting "Oust Arroyo now."

The stock market and the peso have slumped during the crisis. A poll released Wednesday showed only two of every 10 Filipinos still trust Arroyo and nearly half believe she should no longer be president.

Arroyo's backing from the Roman Catholic community has eroded, with a growing number of religious groups joining opposition lawmakers and left-wing groups in publicly seeking her ouster and an orderly transition of power to Vice President Noli de Castro.

Rumors persist of discontent in the powerful military, another key base of Arroyo's support.

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