BY JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR

MALACAÑANG yesterday urged former President Joseph Estrada to tell his allies, particularly Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, to "stop dividing" the country."

Chief presidential legal counsel Sergio Apostol said the opposition should end its efforts to revive the "Hello Garci" scandal as he said allegations that the Arroyo camp cheated in 2004 have never been proven.

Apostol said Binay is raising the "Hello Garci" issue to boost his presidential ambitions but reviving the issue would neither help his political plans nor do good for the country.

"The kind of thinking of these people, hindi ko maintindihan….Si Erap na-pardon na, ano pa ba ang gusto nila? Dapat pagsabihan ni Erap si Binay na stop dividing the country and our people…Let’s concentrate on how we could move the economy forward," he said.

He added it is high time for everyone to "move on" and refrain from "looking at the past."

Apostol also dismissed Binay’s allegation that the move of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines to push for a "people’s initiative" to amend the Constitution is another effort of the administration to scrap the 2010 presidential elections.

"Prediction lang ni Binay iyan. Masyado nag-iisip na negative ito. Sabi lang ng ULAP, let’s amend the Constitution, so what’s wrong with that? Binay should be reminded that people’s initiative is a referendum …magkakaron ng referendum for our people to approve," he said.

He said President Arroyo has nothing to do with ULAP’s actions even if she is in favor of amending the Constitution.

As far as Malacañang is concerned, he said, "the elections will push through."