菲國總統Gloria Macapagal Arroyo去年遭遇到從政以來最大的挑戰，被反對人士要求罷免，她被指控在２００４年的選舉作弊，甚至利用軍人作弊；她金錢的來自非法賭博的收入，壓迫新聞自由、異議份子等等。
但是，這位經濟學者總統成功的在罷免案重新站起來，最主要的原因是，她全力致力於經濟，她在內政上及經濟上，在國會反對上強力推動許多措施，明顯提升經濟表現。大部份的分析家都認為，她任內的經濟表現比起前幾任總統都佳，因此，現在連反對人士都不得不承認，情形比過去好，她因此面對的政治反對壓力頓時減輕許多。這次反對黨再度提出罷免案就顯得蒼白無力，一位國會議員說，人民需要工作、機會，而不是反對戲碼。
(嗯，菲律賓能，台灣能不能？）
Facing impeachment, Arroyo appears strong
By Carlos H. Conde International Herald Tribune
MONDAY, JUNE 26, 2006
MANILA When President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines met with Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican on Monday, she presented him with what she had earlier called ”the gift of life”: a law she signed over the weekend that abolished the death penalty in her country.
Not all Filipinos, however, celebrated the gesture of the deeply religious leader of the largest Roman Catholic country in Asia. They called it a ploy to gain favor at the Vatican, which is opposing her move to change the Philippine Constitution, and, at the same time, as payback to the church for not supporting several attempts to oust her from office in the past year.
Exactly a year after an impeachment complaint was filed against Arroyo in the Philippine Congress, she is still hounded by several issues, her policies are routinely questioned, and her critics see hypocrisy and opportunism in her actions.
These policies and actions range from repealing the death penalty to starting an all-out offensive against leftist rebels that her opponents see as an attempt to intimidate the opposition.
In the past year, aside from the impeachment effort, she faced almost daily demonstrations and calls for ”People Power” uprisings. On Monday, her opponents - a mix of politicians, leftists, intellectuals and former officials in her cabinet - filed another impeachment complaint, this time alleging that she used the military’s personnel and resources to cheat in the 2004 elections and that she used money from illegal gambling and those recovered from the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos to finance her election campaign.
She was also accused of condoning the killings of activists and journalists, and misusing the Constitution to suppress dissent.
Analysts, however, think the 59-year- old Arroyo, a U.S.-educated economist and daughter of a former president, will survive this new complaint - not only because her party controls Congress, but also because the political situation is much calmer now, the economy is doing fairly well, and the president has shown, according to one political analyst, ”extraordinary strength.”
”To her credit, she is an extraordinary person with extraordinary strength,” said Clarita Carlos, an expert on politics and governance at the University of the Philippines. ”She’s a very, very hard worker. ”
”She is a very astute politician,” said Peter Wallace, an Australian financial consultant based in Manila. ”Will she win this one? The odds are that, based on her experience, she will.”
Since the attempt to impeach her last year failed, Arroyo has worked hard to put the economy back on track, often making unpopular decisions that were politically costly.
For example, she raised taxes on certain services and goods, like liquor and cigarettes, that most poor Filipinos consume. She did that by battling Congress, which, for years, had sat on the bills for these tax laws. She also refused to heed populist calls to restrict mining, to the delight of mining companies who consider the Philippines as largely the unexplored mining frontier of Asia.
Unemployment has gone down while the peso remains relatively stable. While Filipinos certainly feel the impact of the high cost of oil, the government has mitigated it by asking oil companies to temper their increases and to roll back pump prices if the price in the world market falls.
Analysts largely agree that the economy has performed better during her tenure than during the time of her predecessor, Joseph Estrada. ”She’s done well on the fiscal side,” Wallace said.
There are still things that need to be addressed, however. Eight industry sectors account for 80 percent of the Philippine gross domestic product. Foreign investment is still low. The educational system needs to be drastically improved if the country hopes to capitalize on the booming business-processing industry. Wallace said Arroyo performed well considering the odds.
Even her political adversaries concede that things have changed in the past year. ”She is in a stronger position now,” said Neric Acosta, an opposition congressman. ”There is relative quiet in the political front.”
One factor for this, said Carlos, the analyst, is that Arroyo’s opponents are disorganized.
”The opposition is not quite strategized,” Carlos said. ”All had been on the tactical level. There are many egos clashing there, too. Their only common goal is to oust her.”
On Monday, Imee Marcos, the congresswoman who is a daughter of the late dictator, complained that ”the opposition does not have a single strategy to pursue the impeachment complaint. It seems that everyone is saying something different.”
The new impeachment attempt will not improve matters. ”It distracts everybody from doing the things that need to be done,” Wallace said. ”The country gets hijacked by this political situation.”
Arroyo’s allies in Congress said the new complaint would fail because the opposition does not have the numbers to impeach the president.
”The people want jobs and opportunities, not the opposition theatrics,” said Edwin Uy, a congressman.
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