Democracy in fine shape – Arroyo

President Gloria Arroyo yesterday expressed optimism about the state of Philippine democracy despite the snail-paced counting of ballots at the House of Representatives for the May 10 polls.

In a speech during the celebration of the country's 106th anniversary, Arroyo said: "The exercise of suffrage even from distant shores is an affirmation of their love for democracy and the political will to move our nation forward."

There was "democracy in action" during the May 10 polls, Arroyo said, adding, "For the first time, thousands of overseas Filipinos were able to cast their votes in their countries of residence."

In general, the Philippines has a "significant role among the community of nations with its maturing democratic traditions and full engagement in the global neighbourhood," she said.

Arroyo has been leading in the counting of ballots in Congress. Her victory would give her a mandate of six more years.

Arroyo also assailed opposition politicians for trying to "derail our democratic process," by delaying the tally of the votes.

She called on the public not to be discouraged by the political uncertainty that has prevailed since the May 10 elections.

"There are politicians without conscience that will not stop until they have won the election by any means," Arroyo said, apparently referring to the opposition who have accused her of using massive fraud to steal the vote.

Exit polls and unofficial results show that Arroyo won the May 10 election, beating opposition bet, movie star Fernando Poe but the opposition insists that Poe is the real winner.

By law, only Congress can declare the winner after tallying all the votes but opposition legislators have delayed the process for weeks through protests and filibustering, raising fears that a destabilisation plot may be in the offing.

"The call of the time is for a swift count and a lawful process," Arroyo said at a rain-soaked public grandstand in the Philippine capital. She told the public: "do not let the (vote) count be used as an excuse to halt, delay or derail our democratic process from its proper path."

Bemoaning the continued partisan bickering over the elections, Arroyo said, "We are considered as the symbol of democracy in Asia but our penchant for politics and division is slowly gnawing away at the foundations of our nation."

Despite the political controversy, Arroyo insisted that the economy was recovering and that the election results would eventually give Filipinos new opportunities to diminish poverty and end the bitter division in their country.

She also said the election controversy in Congress, "was just a minor image," in the wider scheme of things, telling the people, "we are faced with a chance to make history and carve a new path." The delay in the vote count has raised the prospect of a constitutional crisis if a new president is not declared before Arroyo's old term runs out on June 30.

It could give way to a power grab from right wing coup plotters and other opposition leaders. The law says that the Congress and not the Commission on Elections should proclaim the new president after tallying the election results.

The way the elections were conducted marred the country's vibrant democracy, a legacy from its former coloniser, the United States.

The refusal of many losing presidential candidates to concede defeat, the way the opposition has claimed massive electoral fraud, and the recent discovery that an opposition leader was allegedly involved in changing certificates of canvass in the Senate, all revealed the politicians‚ flawed sense of democracy.

Many students said they were happy about the independence of their country, but lamented at the way the politicians have made freedom a form of licentiousness.

The editorials that were published by many local newspapers echoed the sentiment of many students. "Our founding fathers would have grimaced over the state of the nation as the 106th anniversary of the declaration of independence is celebrated today," said the Philippine Star.

At the same time, various militant groups raised more pointed issues than elections as they held a rally at Manila's T.M. Kalaw Street, near the US Embassy. With placards and banners, they accused Arroyo of being a puppet of the US government, adding that her foreign policy is a sign that the country has not yet achieved its real independence.