Manila, Philippines - The Philippines' Roman Catholic bishops, who have played a major role in toppling two presidents, gave lukewarm support Sunday to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as she faced calls to resign over an election scandal.
The long-awaited statement by the nation's Catholic Bishops Conference may ease the pressure on Arroyo, who looked increasingly isolated after 10 Cabinet members quit Friday and urged her to step down. Arroyo has defiantly refused and challenged the opposition to file an impeachment case instead of trying to force her to quit.
"We do not demand her resignation," the bishops said in a statement drafted during a weekend retreat. "Yet, neither do we encourage her to simply dismiss such a call from others."
Political commentator Benito Lim said the statement strengthened Arroyo's position.
"It will give her enough time to organize and dissipate the power of the opposition," Lim said. "In terms of boxing, this round went to Arroyo, but she has not won the battle yet."
The bishops in the predominantly Roman Catholic country played key role in the 1986 "people power" revolution that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos and the 2001 repeat which forced out Arroyo's predecessor, Joseph Estrada.
Arroyo has apologized for a "lapse in judgment" in talking to an election official before she was declared winner of the May 2004 elections, which fueled charges she manipulated the vote count.
Vowing to work toward restoring the people's trust, Arroyo said she was "deeply grateful to the bishops for their statement of guidance and wisdom."
"I appreciate their collective voice of moderation and temperance of national soul-searching," Arroyo said. "I will read every line and everything between the lines of the bishops' statement."
But the Revolutionary Patriotic Alliance, a military group blamed for past coup attempts, called on Arroyo to step down, saying allegations that she rigged last year's election have sparked a crisis that threatens to erupt into violence.
The group was the latest to join the resignation calls led by Arroyo's Cabinet defectors and former President Corazon Aquino, an Arroyo ally.
Leftist lawmaker Satur Ocampo said he expects anti-Arroyo protests to continue despite the bishops' position.
"We still expect militant sections of the religious sector to go to the streets," he said.
As the influential Catholic leaders debated what position to take, Arroyo went on a new charm offensive, praying in church, strolling along a Manila Bay promenade, holding babies and chatting with fishermen during a rare public appearance.
The carefully worded bishops' statement — titled "Restoring Trust: A plea for moral values in Philippine politics" — was far from an endorsement of Arroyo, calling for greater accountability and saying the election scandal has undercut the public's trust.
The bishops said there was no clear solution and Arroyo must decide if the damage from the crisis is fatal to her leadership. However, they said her resignation would not end the political divisions that it has laid bare.
"We ask the president to discern deeply to what extent she might have contributed to the erosion of effective governance and whether the erosion is so severe that it's irreversible," the bishops' statement said. "She has to make the necessary decision for the sake of the country."
The bishops called for establishment of an independent "truth commission" to probe the election allegations, and suggested she could face impeachment proceedings.
Cardinal Ricardo Vidal said the prospects of Arroyo resigning scared him because of a possible leadership vacuum.