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Erap's PMP questions EDSA 2 constitutionality


Contrasting Malacañang’s quiet commemoration of the seventh anniversary of the EDSA 2 revolution quietly, the political party of former President Joseph Estrada who was ousted by the revolt placed full-page ads in Metro Manila-based newspapers Friday, saying EDSA 2 inflicted a dent on Philippine democracy. The advertisements by Estrada's Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) featured clippings from foreign media agencies shortly after EDSA 2, which question the constitutionality of the revolt that propelled President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to power. The ad featured clippings from international publications including Time, New York Times, Straits Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Asia Times Online, The Economist, and International Herald Tribune. "Read what the world press wrote about EDSA 2 and weep for Philippine democracy... The foreign press did not stand idly by as the events leading to EDSA 2 unfolded. Most of the wire services and major international networks had correspondents monitoring events and reporting on these accordingly," the PMP said. PMP described EDSA 2 as a "power grab that deprived (former) President Estrada of the presidential mandate overwhelmingly given to him by the Philippine electorate in the May 1998 presidential elections." All of the articles cited in the ad, it said, reflected the assessment by former Supreme Court justice Cecilia Muñoz Palma that EDSA 2 violated the 1987 Constitution. "The 1987 Constitution suffered. This happened when the ongoing impeachment trial of President Joseph Estrada was unceremoniously disrupted and discontinued and the issues on hand were brought to the parliament of the streets. The rule of law was set aside and the rule of force prevailed," PMP quoted Palma as saying. Malacañang on Thursday said it chose to mark the anniversary of EDSA 2 quietly, supposedly to "heal the wounds of EDSA." However, various civil society and militant groups plan to mark the event with protest rallies and marches. Civil society and militant groups on Friday were to march to the EDSA Shrine in Mandaluyong late Friday afternoon to protest the broken promises of EDSA 2. - GMANews.TV

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