Jockeying for 2004:
Rift between Macapagal-Arroyo and Roco bared before the public

Basahin ang artikulong ito sa Pilipino

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's tenuous reign continues to be beset by internal conflicts. On August 13, Raul Roco resigned in disgust as secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) over the regime's exposure to the media of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's order to have him investigated for corruption. He claimed that he was put to shame when the regime had publicized the charges without giving him prior notice.

Roco used the opportunity to parry criticisms against his leadership, denounce Macapagal-Arroyo's politicking and present himself as a "respectable" alternative.

As early as July 11, the employees' union at the DepEd Central Office had filed formal charges against Roco at the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PACG).

Among others, Roco was acccused of pocketing P15-16 million in "service fees" monthly from January to July 2002; having posters printed for his own propaganda purposes with the use of DepEd funds; illegally hiring "consultants"; illegally dismissing a number of DepEd officials and illegally assigning a DepEd driver to his wife.

Even before the charges were filed, the union had already presented its grievances to the public and to Malaca�ang. But Macapagal-Arroyo ignored them for more than a year, especially since she herself was guilty of the same excesses. It was only in August that the regime took notice of the cases, after a survey conducted by Ibon Foundation revealed that Roco would defeat Macapagal-Arroyo for the presidency if elections were held at this time. The Macapagal-Arroyo regime used the cases against Roco to force him to resign, cut off his access to public funds and shunt him aside as a leading political rival in 2004.

Due to Macapagal-Arroyo's political maneuvers, she is starting to become isolated even within her own clique. Some have admitted that they would be forced to choose between Roco and Macapagal-Arroyo in the 2004 elections. It would not be farfetched for Macapagal-Arroyo to put the squeeze on other potential rivals within her party like Sen. Loren Legarda.

September 2002
English Edition

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