The plotters simply failed to attract and mobilize enough number of people to bring down the government.

The destabilization plot, however, definitely hurt the economy by discouraging both domestic and foreign investors with the prospect of political instability.

This, once again, has set back the modest economic gains achieved by the country in the first semester of the year.

It is really tragic that things like destabilization campaigns and plots to bring down the government take place everytime the country is poised to take off for the last four years.

The jueteng exposés linking close relatives of the President and the tapes of alleged conversation between the President and a Comelec commissioner were clearly part of a plot to bring down the government during the Independence Day weekend.

The plot capitalized on the fact that majority of the people are dissatisfied with the government and the public approval rating of the President was an all time low.

Fortunately, majority of the people were intelligent enough to realize that both issues of corruption involving members of the First Family and cheating in the last elections as purported by the tapes are not compelling enough.

The calls of opposition leaders like Sen. Nene Pimentel for the President and the Vice President to resign did not work. People asked who will replace the President and the Vice President. Former President Joseph Estrada and Sen. Pimentel?

The plotters also failed in their design to use popular movie actress Susan Roces in their propaganda attempt. Roces, the widow of the late presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr., did what was right in appealing for sobriety and calmness. That was really statesmanship of the highest order on the part of Susan.

The problem is that the campaign to bring down the government is not yet over. It is clear that the opposition will continue hammering on the juetengate and the issue of the tapes.

In a democracy, of course, it is their right. And no one can stop those who seek this end for as long as they are within legal means.

But I think that the government and President Arroyo should be allowed to continue in their more important work of delivering basic services and nationbuilding.

The issues of corruption and election cheating should be left to their proper venues. The courts of law. Not the bar of public opinion.

Again, as US Ambassador Francis Ricciardoni once told the Philippine opposition, concentrate on preparing for the next election not destabilization. Maawa na kayo sa bansa natin.