By JOSEPH G. LARIOSA

(© 2009 Journal Group Link International)

C HICAGO, Illinois (JGLi) – Former President Fidel V. Ramos reiterated his previous call for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to resign from presidency in view of her “obvious unfair advantage” over her opponent in the congressional race in her district.

Speaking before the Philippine community in Sydney, Australia, Mr. Ramos said Mrs. Arroyo “should resign from the presidency in view of her decision to run in the 2010 elections as candidate for Congress.”

In a story coming out on Jan. 8th from Philippine Bayanihan News monitored here, Mr. Ramos also said that Mrs. Arroyo overreacted when she declared martial law in Maguindanao following the massacre of 57 people, including 31 journalists in November.

Mr. Ramos was in Sydney last Dec. 5 to attend the Asian-Pacific Community Forum, a conference among national leaders and statesmen from the Asia-Pacific Region hosted by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

A lthough Mrs. Arroyo subsequently lifted martial law in Maguindanao, former President Ramos said “apprehension in the media that martial law in Maguindanao would create fear is valid and pointed out that on two previous crisis situations in the past the late President Cory Aquino and incumbent President Gloria Arroyo merely resorted to declaring state of emergency not martial law.”

Former President Ramos said a state of emergency is just like dealing with a natural calamity such as great typhoon or earthquake. But declaring martial law even if limited in a particular province has much more deeper implications.

Mr. Ramos said “it is both impractical and confusing to declare martial in a land locked province such as Maguindanao bounded by several other provinces where martial law does not apply.”

President Arroyo subsequently lifted martial law in Maguindanao province eight days later after its proclamation. But a state of emergency still exists in provinces of Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat and city of Cotabato.

Mr. Ramos said Mrs. Arroyo should level the playing field by resigning from the presidency because of her “unfair advantage over lesser-known congressional candidates” in Pampanga’s second district. (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net) # # #

© opyright 2009 The Journal Group Link International. The contents provided in the JGLi may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of the Journal Group Link International.

(Editor’s Note: Watch out for the upcoming outlet-oriented, subscription-based website of Journal Group Link International that guarantees originally sourced stories, features, photos, audios and videos and multi-media contents.)