The Philippine opposition yesterday kept up pressure on President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to resign over allegations she cheated in last year's vote, as the military again warned troops to stay neutral in the deepening crisis.
Opposition groups held small demonstrations in the capital to call for Arroyo to quit, after thousands gathered for similar rallies late on Friday, while various opposition factions met to plot their next move.
One opposition leader admitted, however, that their efforts were weakened by having no clear replacement for Arroyo if she were forced to step down.
"The difficulty ... in rallying enough support is that we are now in a crisis of leadership -- a crisis of who will replace President Arroyo," Senator Jamby Madrigal said in an interview with ABS-CBN television.
Arroyo, who has denied trying to fix the May 2004 vote and has refused to resign, was meanwhile holed up at the presidential palace where she consulted with supportive legislators and Cabinet allies.
"She is in command of the situation and everything will stabilize," Arroyo's Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said late yesterday.
"We have our leaders close to the ground who are tracking how things are moving as far as the political opposition is concerned," he added.
Military Chief Brigadier General Efren Abu issued a new warning to troops to stay neutral amid calls by retired officers for soldiers to help oust the president.
"This serious political problem must be solved through the legal process and peaceful means. The armed forces must not in any way, get involved in anything that goes against the Constitution," Abu said.
"I call on all sectors of society to stop their appeals to the military to enter the field of politics," he said.
The head of police in Manila said he had lowered a red alert raised on Friday when tensions peaked as members of Arroyo's Cabinet, senior officials and prominent businesses added to opposition calls for her to quit.
"The hype yesterday has subsided greatly and the situation is very much approaching the point of normalcy," Manila Police Chief Director Vidal Querol said.
Arroyo's opponents suffered a further blow as the country's influential Catholic bishops failed to so far agree on a statement calling for the president's resignation, a senior bishop said as the church leaders continued to hold a crisis meeting late into the evening.
The bishops were originally expected to urge her to step down in a move that many said could further swing public opinion in this largely Catholic nation.
also see stories:
Arroyo losing grip on power: analysts
Noli de Castro eyed as a possible successor to Arroyo
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