MANILA - EMBATTLED Philippine President Gloria Arroyo's hopes of clinging onto power have been given a boost, analysts said, after the influential Roman Catholic Church decided not to back mounting calls for her to go.

While many were expecting the church, considered the moral voice of the Philippines, to call for Ms Arroyo's resignation, it has instead condemned the 'continuing culture of corruption' in government.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) met on Tuesday to hammer out a united stance on the latest accusations of corruption levelled at the 60-year-old Ms Arroyo.

Under the late Cardinal Jaime Sin's leadership the church spoke out against the excesses of dictator Ferdinand Marcos and led the so-called People Power demonstrations which eventually saw his downfall in 1986.

The late Cardinal Sin was also one of the key players in the removal of then-President Joseph Estrada in 2001.

But analysts say the church's announcement should not be mistaken for being in any way a sign of support for Arroyo.

'I would not say that the CBCP statement was a victory for Arroyo,' said Mr Ramon Casiple, executive director of the Institute for Political and Economic Reform (IPER), a local think-tank.

'It has given her some time to think things over and of course much-needed breathing space. But I don't think it has made her nights more peaceful,' he said.

Mr Casiple said the statement reflected Ms Arroyo's political shrewdness, having endeared herself to a faction within the CBCP that some insiders now brand as 'the Malacanang (presidential palace) diocese.' Church analysts say that with the death of Sin three years ago the church has been without a unifying voice.

The latest allegations of corruption to hit Ms Arroyo involve accusations her husband and a close political ally tried to get millions in kickbacks from an aborted national Internet broadband deal with Chinese firm ZTE Corp.

Allegations denied
The presidential palace has repeatedly denied the allegations and has stopped government officials involved in the deal from appearing before a Senate inquiry.

Mr Rommel Balaoi, a political analyst with close links to the defence establishment, said the CBCP statement would 'cool down anti-Arroyo rallies on the streets.

'The CBCP and the church is an important political factor, a barometer,' Mr Balaoi said.

'The president now has to show more transparency and accountability in governance,' he added, stressing that failing to do so would in the long run lead to fresh grumblings from the influential armed forces.

IPER's Casiple noted Ms Arroyo has retained broad support from military generals, but the shaky alliance could crumble any time.

'I don't think there is real loyalty there. The reason why no one among the ranks is moving against her is because soldiers follow the chain of command, but that can change over night,' he said.

Mr Ben Lim, of the Ateneo de Manila University, believes that elements of a successful popular revolt remain absent, including a 'unifying replacement and a viable president.'

'While it is true that people power can remove a president, it is no guarantee they can replace her with a better one,' he warned. -- AFP