UNITED Opposition (UNO) president Jejomar C. Binay yesterday said that in the wake of comments by Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno that the country remains beholden to oligarchs, President Arroyo should now resign to pave the way for the proposed transition government that can ensure clean elections next year and the peaceful transfer of power to Arroyo successor.

Binay, also Makati mayor, said Puno has the credibility to head such a transition government.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said in statement that for "the country to be ruled by a chosen few rich is a circumstance that is totally regrettable especially for a pro-poor Roman Catholic Church."

Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez, CBCP public affairs committee chairman, said, "If this is indeed true, as being manifested by the several surveys showing the growing number of poor Filipinos, this is really a very regrettable situation we are in."

Binay said Puno’s statements proves that he has the independence and the moral courage to stand up against vested interests, adding that he would rather have Puno at the helm of government during the 2010 elections.

He said that a transition government under Puno will avert unrest and dispel talks about martial law.

In Malacañang, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said the Palace has nothing to dispute in Puno’s statements, saying Puno’s Moral Renewal Movement is welcomed.

But he said everybody should do their share in this campaign, adding that "moral renewal should start in the judiciary as Puno himself is aware that there are a lot of reforms that his branch of government also needs."

During the launching of the Moral Force Movement last Friday in Davao City, Puno said the country continues to be under the control of oligarchs, and the government is even beholden to them.