A TXTPower news release we emailed moments ago is quoted in full below:
TXTPower, a mobile phone users group whose members actively joined People Power 2, today welcomed the guilty verdict handed down by the Sandiganbayan saying “it is a warning to all, especially President Arroyo, that official wrongdoing will eventually catch up on them”.
“For veterans of People Power 2, Estrada’s conviction by the court is the logical consequence of the people’s uprising in 2001. The people already spoke clearly and decisively in 2001 and the court found the sovereign people’s will correct, albeit belatedly,” said TXTPower president Anthony Ian Cruz.
“The clear message of Estrada’s conviction is this: The people are fed up with presidents who steal. In the case of President Arroyo, she should be ready for the end of the presidency. Her record is worse than Estrada’s because not only does she steal. She also lies, cheats and kills,” said Cruz.
According to Agham chairperson and TXTPower convenor Dr. Giovanni Tapang, TXTPower will make full use of mobile phones, the internet and other tools to empower the people to hold leaders such as Estrada and Arroyo accountable.
“Estrada’s ouster was brought down by cellphone-wielding Filipinos. Arroyo has to face a more sophisticated populace who have 3G and broadband internet, YouTube and other mobileactivist tools. Lest we forget, wiretapped cellphone talk is today the living proof of her cheating the 2004 elections,” said Tapang.
Raymond Palatino, Kabataan president and TXTPower convenor, also said that “when Arroyo finally relinquishes the presidency she stole in 2004, the people will no longer be stopped from seeking that she be held accountable. We expect scores of cases to come her way, the same charges her minions have prevented from being investigated throughout her presidency.”
“Estrada’s conviction is some sort of a preview for Arroyo’s own conviction in more and worse crimes against the Filipino people,” said Palatino.
TXTPower was among the many groups that signed the impeachment complaint against President Arroyo last year. ###
By the way, I’m the president of TXTPower, elected formally early this year after about six years of being convenor and spokesperson.
Photos courtesy of CNN and Asiaweek.