FIRST of all, the author of this Times editorial would like to declare that he has asked Our Lord in a solemn meditation for pardon for having to criticize the stand and statement made by His Eminence Archbishop of Manila Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle against the call of the National Transformation Council for President B. S. Aquino to step down.

It does not seem to us that the Archbishop Cardinal disagrees with the NTC’s reasons for finding it necessary to implore President Aquino to step down for the common good. It is just that he believes that instead of giving Aquino the boot, the nation should cooperate with him and his administration to strengthen government institutions.