IBON: 2 of 3 Pinoys want Arroyo out of Palace

MANILA, Philippines - Two of three Filipinos are in favor of having President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo removed from office, according to a survey by militant think tank IBON Foundation. The survey said 66.67 percent of 1,500 respondents said "Yes" to the question "In your opinion, should President Gloria Arroyo be removed as the country's president?" Only 19.07 percent of the respondents answered "No" while 13.40 percent said "Don't Know." Only 0.87 percent did not give an answer. Promptly, Malacañang dismissed the survey results. "The IBON survey result is self-serving, leftist agitation propaganda," Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said in a text message to GMANews.TV. IBON said it conducted its survey from Jan. 7 to 16, 2009 among 1,500 respondents. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus three percent. "Majority of Filipinos do not want President Arroyo to remain as the country's chief executive," it said as it released the survey result two days after Mrs. Arroyo warned the world will not tolerate another EDSA revolt. The release of the survey results also came after President Arroyo came under fire for allegedly failing to act on the P728 million fertilizer fund scam. Sen. Richard Gordon, chair of the blue ribbon committee, said the President should have cracked the whip on the personalities linked to the scandal. Not acting on the matter was a form of giving her approval on the disbursement of the questionable P728 million fertilizer funds, Gordon said. But Remonde had repeatedly denied the President slept on the case, adding that she even ordered the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission to conduct a probe. The PAGC’s inquiry, however, was subsequently terminated after the Ombudsman started its separate investigation. - with a report from Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV