By Dona Pazzibugan
Inquirer News Service
THE COUNTRY’S diplomats and employees of the Department of Foreign Affairs have joined the nationwide call for President Arroyo’s resignation.
On Wednesday, some 30 mid-ranking DFA officials and junior diplomats defied a Malacañang directive against attending protest rallies and left the DFA early in the afternoon to go to the anti-Arroyo rally at the Edsa Shrine.
The diplomats went on a half-day leave that day to be able to leave the DFA around 3 p.m.
Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, however, downplayed the action of the diplomats.
"The majority (of DFA employees) did not join," said Romulo, who had consistently maintained that the President should not be pressured into resigning by protest rallies.
A department-wide draft manifesto calling for the President’s resignation, however, is expected to be issued in the coming days.
The manifesto will reportedly be issued by the foreign service officers (FSOs) association, the DFA rank and file union, and the employees’ cooperative.
The draft manifesto said the political situation "has severely damaged the nation’s image in the international community, making our task of effectively promoting our interests abroad extremely difficult."
"It threatens to wipe away the remnants of our national pride and self-respect, reinforcing the popular sentiment that the President no longer has the moral fitness and authority to lead our nation.
"We strongly believe that a change in leadership is the only alternative that will bring us back on the long and painful road of economic recovery, restore our confidence in our democratic institutions and allow us to regain our national pride," it said.
DFA sources said ambassadors and diplomats assigned abroad have been consulted about the manifesto, but have so far not given their reaction.
No comments:
Post a Comment