亚洲—菲律宾政治危机仍在继续（在线收听）

Philippine Political Crisis Continues

菲律宾政治危机仍在继续

Pressure continued to mount Monday for Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to resign over allegations of vote-rigging in the 2004 elections. Former president Corazon Aquino again called for Mrs. Arroyo to step down, and the opposition is planning protests in the capital later this week.

Sunday's statement by influential Catholic bishops, who stopped short of calling for the president's resignation, may have given Mrs. Arroyo a reprieve. But it failed to convince her critics.

During a mass in Manila Monday in this largely Roman Catholic country, former president Corazon Aquino said Mrs. Arroyo's resignation was the best option.

Corazon Aquino: The second path is the long and inherently contentious process of a congressional impeachment that can only generate more divisions on society and cast more suspicions on the threatened institutions of our democracy, I ask the president to spare our country and herself from this second option and make the supreme sacrifice of resigning.

Presidential spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao repeated that Mrs. Arroyo will not resign.

Rigoberto Tiglao: I really can't understand why a sitting president would be forced to resign on the basis on things [where there is] no evidence that are legal for putting down a president.

Opposition leaders are planning a peaceful protest on Wednesday to demand Mrs. Arroyo resign.

Previous mass protests ended in the ouster of two previous presidents, Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and Joseph Estrada in 2001.

But so far, opposition calls for demonstrations against President Arroyo have largely gone unheeded.

Hotel manager Ed Samson says the country needs a new political system, not a new leader.

Ed Samson: I think the system has to be replaced. You need to replace the president, another president will come in, the same problem will come up and they'll want to kick him out. I think it's the system that is rotten.

The political crisis has prompted two international ratings agencies, Standard and Poor's and Fitch Ratings to lower their outlook for the Philippines from stable to negative.

James McCormack, a senior director of Fitch Ratings, says the downgrade is due to the uncertainty.

James McCormack: When we look at the politics in the short-term we really don't see any immediate solutions to the issue.

Congress is due to debate an impeachment motion when it reconvenes on July 25.

Mrs. Arroyo admits talking to an election official during the 2004 presidential vote, but denies any wrongdoing, calling the phone call a "lapse in judgment."

Nancy-Amelia Collins, VOA news, Manila.

注释：

resign [ri5zain] v. 辞去，辞职

vote-rigging 投票舞弊

influential [7influ5enFEl] adj. 有影响的，有势力的

catholic [5kAWElik] adj. 天主教的

bishop [5biFEp] n. 主教

convince [kEn5vins] vt. 使确信，使信服

generate [5dVenE7reit] vt. 产生，发生

sacrifice [5sAkrifais] n. 牺牲，损失

unheeded [Qn5hi:did] adj. 未被注意的，被忽视的

come up 出现

reconvene [ri:kEn5vi:n] vt. 重新集合，重新召集