Transcript: Statement of Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, Magdalo soldier

GMANews.TV
11/29/2007 | 02:14 PM


After storming out of the Makati City Regional Trial Court on Thursday, Senator Antonio Trillanes and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim marched to the Manila Peninsula Hotel where they read statements in front of members of the media.

Following is the transcript of Lim's statement which he read during the conference:

"Today, we address all decent Filipinos to announce that now is the time to end the sufferings and miseries inflicted upon us by the illegitimate Gloria Macapagal Arroyo government and start a new life, a new Philippines. The die is cast pursuant to our constitutional mandate as protector of the people and state.

And by these acts the officers and men of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police supported by the masses of our people and the various political forces give substance to the constitutional provisions which says the Philippines is a democratic and republican state.

Sovereign peace resides in the people and all government authority emanate from them. That we take the faithful steps of removing Mrs Arroyo from the presidency and undertake the formation of a new government.

Mrs Arroyo had occupied the presidency under a questionable mandate publicly disputed by a vast majority of Filipinos. She stole the presidency from President Estrada through unconstitutional and deceitful means and later manipulated the results of the 2004 elections to perpetuate herself in power.

We have individually and collectively tried all means to resolve this legitimacy issue through the normal electoral, juidicial, and congressional processes but Mrs Arroyo used naked power through the issuance of Executive Order 464 and other executive proclamations and the sheer weight of numbers to paralyze the impeachment process procured at the people's great expense to fustrate us at every turn.

After all these have failed our people tried to air their grievances in peaceful street assemblies. They thought they were exercising a combination of constitutional right which no official or agency of government may legally abridge but they were stopped and dispersed violently with cannons from firemen and truncheons from the police.

The abuses of our government continue the deliberate the deliberate refusal or failure of the dubious leaders to castigate and prosecute the people responsible for the scandalous Hello, Garci electoral cheating, the Joc-joc Bolante multi million peso fertilizer scam, Impsa bribery, the Jose Pidal and Jueteng scandals involving billions of public funds, the North Rail Project, scandal, the Venable contract scandal, the NBN scandal, the wholesale bribery of congressmen in Malacañang as well as the unabated and unresolved extrajudicial killings of citizens particularly journalists and members of the judiciary and the use of military and police officers for some unlawful mission.

Among others, these are clear proof of her failure for good and decent governance. There are numerous illegal and immoral activities and transactions conducted by these government with impunity that betray the citizens and the state of their pristine right to exist as a people with decency, dignity and integrity.

With all the avenues closed by the use of naked force, no other means remain but for the officers and men of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to exercise their constitutional mandate and to take the side of the sovereign people against this illegitimate and unjust president.

We take due indulgence and apologize for any untoward disruptions attendant to fighting this righteous cause.

We are confident that the will of the sovereign people will prevail. The end of the corrupt and vicious government and its bogus leaders is long overdue.

We support the political and economic reforms that will be initiated by the new government regardless of the personal cause it may impose on each one of us.

We therefore call on our people and all the government around the world to give the constitutional rescue initiated by our patriotic brothers in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police a chance to work.

To the task of organizing a new government and pursuing a program of total and no nonsense reform, we commit our full support.

We shall do whatever we can too to prevent any backsliding to the corruption and abuse of power of the immediate past and advance the cause of truth, freedom and justice, peace and progress for all Filipinos. God bless the Filipino people. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas."