By Manny Mogato
MANILA (Reuters) - More than 50 former top Philippinegovernment officials, including a one-time head of the centralbank, urged President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's cabinet toresign on Sunday over a multi-million dollar corruptionscandal.
"We call on all those who can no longer endure thiswrongful governance with its structures of evil and unmoderatedgreed: it is time to cut clean, it is time to go," read thestatement, signed by the ex-officials, including five formerfinance chiefs and a former central bank governor.
A Senate probe into allegations of $130 million (66.3million pounds) worth of kickbacks in a state telecoms dealwith China's ZTE Corp. has revived calls for the resignation ofArroyo and opposition groups are planning anti-governmentrallies next week and on February 25, the anniversary of theoverthrow of dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
On Sunday, former president and democracy icon CorazonAquino joined around 2,500 people in a Mass in Manila to honourRodolfo Lozada, a former government official whose testimony inthe Senate inquiry revived the protests.
"I want all of us Filipinos to be united again. If we canget together we will also see a bright future for our country,"Aquino told the cheering congregation, who finished the Masswith a protest song and clenched fists.
Aquino was elected president in 1986 after Marcos wasremoved from power in a people power revolt.
A spokeswoman for the presidential palace cautioned againstpolitical manoeuvring.
"Disunity and discord will only bring our country down fromthe gains we have achieved," said Lorelei Fajardo.
A presidential election is not due until 2010 when Arroyo'sfinal term ends.
TRUTH
Arroyo has survived three impeachment bids and at leastthree coup plots since coming to power in 2001 and politicalanalysts have said she will likely see out the remainder of herterm because she has the support of the military and the lowerhouse of Congress.
But allegations of multi-million dollars worth of kickbackshave outraged many middle-class Filipinos, who were out inforce at Sunday's mass after largely avoiding previous protestrallies.
"We are here not only to support Lozada, because we believethere is corruption we have to do something about it and letthe truth come out," said Antonio Luistro, a father of five.
On Friday, around 10,000 people gathered in Manila'sfinancial district calling for the resignation of Arroyo, thebiggest crowd since tens of thousands demonstrated against herin 2005 amid allegations she cheated in the 2004 election.
Oppositions groups are hoping the protests will gathersteam.
"We are seeing a lot of the middle class, businessmen andprofessionals," Ronald Llamas, the head of Akbayan, a civilsociety group, said of the crowd at the Mass.
"In the past we had a hard time convincing them to join us.Now they are voluntarily joining in."
Senator Manuel Roxas, seen as a leading contender inpresidential elections in 2010, Jose de Venecia, the formerSpeaker of the lower house, and an array of former cabinetmembers attended the Mass, which was held in the gymnasium of aschool.
Lozada has sought refuge in the school since deciding totestify at the Senate inquiry.
(Reporting by Manny Mogato, Editing by Carmel Crimmins andSanjeev Miglani)
