Is Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) stepping down as president in 2010?
Politicians who listened to yesterday’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) cannot seem to agree about it.
According to GMA: At the end of this speech I shall step down from this stage, but not from the presidency. My term does not end until next year.
And also: I never expressed the desire to extend myself beyond my term.
Several politicians, however, think this is not a clear indication if GMA will indeed end her presidential term next year.
Says Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago: She did not state categorically she is not running. She does not admit to anything. She just said I never said I would like to extend my term.
For Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano: The speech was deliberately vague or silent on issues of Charter change, not extending her term, or when she is stepping down.
For Akbayan partylist Rep. Risa Hontiveros: She only said she would not be President in 2010, but she did not categorically say that she would let go of power. So we could ask, what does that mean, after president she would be prime minister?
Says Bayan Muna partylist Rep. Teodoro Casiño: She made a bad joke about stepping down from the podium, but not from the presidency. This plus the push for Cha-cha makes us very doubtful about her true intentions.
What do you think? Is GMA stepping down as president in 2010?
Vote in our poll below and we’ll see what the majority of PMT readers think.
[poll id=”1″]
Source: Inquirer.net, Philstar.com
