25 February 2006

"Yesterday's events were the last of the jigsaw pieces that revealed in full GMA's intention to rule the country through a dictatorship. What she has done is an insult not only to the millions of Filipinos who risked their lives to peacefully dismantle the Marcos dictatorship, but also to a world that was moved and inspired by the strength of our love for democracy and freedom. The dark days of Martial Law have been resurrected and they will haunt us as long as President GMA is in power and as long as systemic changes and democratic reforms are not in place," AKBAYAN Rep. Mayong Aguja said. "Just so she could evade the truth behind the 'Hello Garci' controversy, the President is willing to destroy the already shaky democratic structures of the country."

Meanwhile, AKBAYAN Rep. Etta Rosales expressed fears that the imposition of the State of National Emergency would pave the way for crackdown on democratic anti-government forces. "All the elements of a repressive regime are already in place. There are orders to gag the media, quell dissent in the streets in the name of public order, arrest political figures or conduct raids without warrant. It is in this environment of fear and sense of impunity on the part of the President that massive human rights violations usually occur," Rep. Rosales added.

AKBAYAN President Ronald Llamas, who was arrested along with UP Prof. Randy David in yesterday's protest rally to commemorate the People Power I anniversary, dared Malacanang to pursue the same path that Marcos has taken to continue his stay in power. "President GMA should have learned from history that repression is the breeding ground of People Power. She would suffer the same fate as Marcos. By insulting the ideals of People Power I, she has actually stoked the rage and the moral indignation of the people. Madam President, we are not afraid," Llamas said.

According to Llamas, AKBAYAN would file counter charges against the policemen that arrested leaders of Laban ng Masa. He also said that the group would question the legality of the declaration of State of National Emergency in the Supreme Court.

For her part, AKBAYAN Rep. Risa Hontiveros called on the Filipinos to remain vigilant and ready to protect the people's democratic gains. "Let us continue to struggle for democracy and freedom in the country. However, we must consciously be steadfast in establishing deeper reforms to widen our democratic space and give meaningful voice to the people in the institutions of governance," Rep. Hontiveros said.

Other than the cases against the policemen who arrested Llamas and Prof. David and the filing of a case in the SC against GMA's draconian policies, the solon said that AKBAYAN legislators would also question House Speaker Jose de Venecia's declarations and actions when Malacanang was under red alert. "His call to all congressmen and congresswomen to declare support to what he believes is the duly constituted government is a rejection of the ideals of EDSA, which promote an independent and representative legislature. In his eagerness to succeed President GMA through a GMA-backed charter change, he compromised the integrity of Congress as an institution of representation and democracy," Rep. Hontiveros said.

 http://www.akbayan.org


________________________________________________________________

AKBAYAN: The time for People Power is now
24 February 2006

AKBAYAN Party today said that there is no better way to affirm the spirit of EDSA than to reclaim the rightful place of the people in our politics through another People Power to oust the fraudulent Arroyo administration. The party said that the very existence of the Arroyo regime is an insult to the values of democracy and freedom that millions of Filipinos upheld twenty years ago by removing the Marcos dictatorship.

AKBAYAN Rep. Mayong Aguja said that AKBAYAN encourages all peace and freedom-loving Filipinos to join the protests in the streets to recover our national sovereignty and dignity from the elitist and deceitful politics of the Arroyo administration. "She manipulated the flaws of the institutions that EDSA I built for her advantage. She restored the environment of repression that the nation has not witnessed since the Martial Law years. By imposing EO 464 and with the help of her minions in the House of Representatives, President GMA continues to undermine representative democracy. All the elements of a re-enactment of dictatorship are already present. We need to act now," AKBAYAN Rep. Mayong Aguja implored.

Meanwhile, fellow AKBAYAN Rep. Risa Hontiveros, attributed the persistence of restiveness in the military and the worsening political condition of the country to the President herself. "She abused her position as President and as Commander-in-Chief when she used the military establishment to win in the 2004 elections. She closed all possible constitutional processes that could have resolved this crisis with credibility and integrity. Even the internal investigation in the AFP on the alleged involvement of military officials in electoral fraud is apparently being manipulated, as manifested by the AFP leadership's refusal to divulge the findings and recommendations of the Mayuga report. All of these are furthering the discontent among soldiers," Rep. Hontiveros said.

The solon added that anything less than a credible resolution to the allegations of electoral fraud would result in more coup jitters. "Since such a resolution under this current government is impossible, the only option is to oust GMA," she said.

AKBAYAN President Ronald Llamas for his part warned that the possibility that right-wing opportunists, including GMA herself, would use the unstable situation to establish a military junta would depend on the vigilance and steadfast faith of the Filipinos themselves. "Arroyo and the other factions of the elite have the capacity of riding on the gains of the people to advance their own interests. They could use the volatility of the situation and the weakness of our democratic institutions to perpetuate themselves in power," Llamas said.

"If we don't act, ALL the democratic gains that we have achieved in the past would be reversed. We are once again challenged by the situation to make a leap of faith for our democracy. The time for People Power is now," Llamas said.

 http://www.akbayan.org



________________________________________________________________


AKBAYAN urges Filipinos to reclaim national sovereignty

People Power to Oust Gloria. AKBAYAN commemorated 1986 Edsa Revolution by calling on the nation to unite in ousting Pres. Arroyo during the culminating rally of the Citizens' Pilgrimage for Truth and Reforms. 

In its commemoration of the 1986 People Power during the culminating rally of the Citizens' Pilgrimage for Truth and Reforms today, AKBAYAN denounced the claim of President GMA that the world will not forgive an EDSA 3, but instead would condemn the country's hopelessly unstable political system. According the party, "a new People Power is in fact necessary to reclaim the sovereignty of the people and affirm the pride and dignity of the Filipinos." AKBAYAN said that GMA's continuing stay in power tarnishes and debases the democratic values that the People Power uprisings of 1986 and 2001 upheld.

"President GMA symbolizes the system that People Power has rejected. Like Marcos, she manipulated and thwarted the will of the people when she said 'hello Garci.' She used the military to rig the elections, coerce her political foes, and to quell the freedom that we painstakingly fought for. With CPR and EO 464, she usurped additional powers to her office by tampering with constitutionally guaranteed principles. Filipinos did not expose their lives in danger during the 1986 People Power so that an illegitimate President could resuscitate the bankrupt, corrupt, and oppressive politics of the martial law years," AKBAYAN Rep. Risa Hontiveros said.

Meanwhile, AKBAYAN President Ronald Llamas said that GMA is deluding herself that the people want her to be the transition President. "Whom the gods destroy they first make crazy. She is the most unpopular President in the history of the country. Her claim is in fact an admission that she is aware that a transition is in the offing; what she is in denial of is the fact that the next transition would begin with her removal from office," Llamas said. "She has been given the chance right after EDSA II to re-affirm the spirit of
People Power, but because of her opportunism, she instead protected and promoted her own interests. We failed to exact accountability from President GMA in the ballots precisely because she cheated; now we are left with no choice but to so again in the streets."

For his part, AKBAYAN Rep. Mayong Aguja implored Filipinos not to be afraid of another People Power, nor should they feel tired and wary of a popular uprising. "They may look at the political crisis like a protracted labor pain. Our national rebirth lies in our collective expression of our sovereignty in the parliament of the streets, where traditional politicians who keep on bastardizing the spirit of People Power cannot use technicalities to prevent the truth from coming out. What is important is that we should see the next uprising to the end and make sure that the political crisis is transformed into a chance to enforce large scale democratic reforms and systemic.

 http://www.akbayan.org/



________________________________________________________________



In case you need more information about Akbayan please visit its official website:  http://www.akbayan.org/  or its entry in Wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akbayan_%21_Citizens%27_Action_Party.

With Laban ng Masa (Fight of the Masses) you can visit the following websites:  http://members.optusnet.com.au/~luis06/Alternatiba.htm  and   http://asia.groups.yahoo.com/group/labanngmasanc/ .
Akbayan has three representatives in the Philippine Congress and Laban ng Masa has five including the three from Akbayan.

For more information about EDSA 1 & EDSA 2 People Power Revolts:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EDSA_Revolution &  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EDSA_II .

For more news about the Philippines:  http://news.inq7.net . Alternative Media:  http://www.pcij.org/ &  http://manila.indymedia.org .

For more info about the present president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Macapagal-Arroyo &  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello_Garci_scandal