NEWS RELEASE
25 July 2008
Reference: Alphonse Rivera, Spokesperson, Contact #: 09296076157

The Impoverished State of Our Nation’s Children in the Hands of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo: The No. 1 Violator of Children’s Rights!

SALINLAHI belies Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s propaganda that the Filipino people feel progress and development in their every day lives.

An empty kaing, an empty balik-bayan box, an obsolete school book and a worn-out, blood- stained sack represented the empty stomachs, the worsening state of education and state-sponsored violence that the Filipino children experience today.

According to the Second Quarter 2008 Social Weather Survey of the Social Weather Station, the number of families who experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past 3 months rose 16.3%, up from a 10-year average Hunger rate of 12.1%. This means that at least 8 million Filipino children turn out malnourished, sick or dying because of hunger.

Children from the country sides and from urban poor communities experience this everyday. Because of the sky-high prices and massive unemployment they will resort to eating a balinghoy (cassava) or a banana for breakfast and lunch instead of the staple rice. Even if they have money to buy rice once in a while, they will just mix it with salt and water to overcome hunger. In leaner times they will just sleep their hunger away.

Children of migrant workers are not an exemption to the crisis. Separation from their parents cause them agony and pain. They are vulnerable to abuse and violence in the absence of their parents. Migrant workers do not want to leave the country and their families but the government does not offer decent jobs. Almost 3,000 Filipinos depart each day to face hardships in the hands of foreign employers and leave behind 90,000 children each month. Some of them are rendered orphans when their parents are accused and executed as the government fails to act or intervene in their behalf.

Alphonse Rivera, Spokesperson of SALINLAHI expressed, “Majority of children has not experienced the development and progress that Mrs. Arroyo is talking about. What children experience are hunger, corruption and high prices. Oil price hike has become a whip that hits the children and their families. The spiraling prices of basic commodities such as rice bury the children and their families into a deeper worsening poverty.

“To this impoverished situation, violence is the answer of the Arroyo government. From 2001 to July 2006, there were 800 incidents of human rights violations involving 215,233 children victims. These incidents include killings, frustrated killings, torture and humiliation, abductions, rape, sexual harassments, illegal arrests, threats and intimidation. Majority of these children are victims of forced evacuation and displacement and 106 children were orphaned or witnessed the killings of their loved ones.” added Rivera.

Needless to say, the children, together with their families are demanding a decent life that they deserve. It is the utmost responsibility of the Gloria Arroyo government to uphold the rights of children—to survival, development, protection and participation in issues that affect them.

Decent and regular jobs, own land to till, access to basic social services such as housing, education and health services are the cry of these children and their families.

“After last year’s 7th State of the Nation Address (SONA),and with the upcoming 8th SONA, the GMA government has not given the needs and demands of its people, not even of its children. Thus, we call on all families, with their children, go out in the streets and fight for the ouster of the nation’s No. violator of children’s rights.” Rivera concluded. ###

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Mensahe sa People's SONA
Fr. Jerry Sabado, OCarm
28 July 2008

Sa aming simbahan doon sa Payatas, isang bata ang pumila para mag-komunyon... Problema, sa itsura niya ay halata na wala pa siyang pitong taon. Umiyak ang bata nang sabihin ko, hindi ka pa pwede, wala ka pang 'first communion.' Iyak siya ng iyak. Nagmakaawa."Father, sige na po, gutom na gutom na po ako. Gusto ko po ng tinapay."

Maliit na tinapay – malaking kaligayahan na para sa isang bata. Ilang tinapay, bigas at iba pang pagkain para sa mahihirap ang kayang bilhin mula sa bilyun-bilyong pisong ninakaw at plano pang nakawin ng gobyernong ito?

Noong Lunes, nagkaroon ng sunog sa Pandacan. Ilan sa mga biktima ay myembro ng simbahang Aglipay. Dalawang bata ang namatay, hindi nakaligtas sa sunog habang ang kanilang Nanay ay nasa mahabang pila ng NFA rice. Kailan lang ay may magkakapatid na namatay din sa isang sunog sa Payatas, habang ang kanilang mga magulang ay naghahanapbuhay, nangangalaykay ng mga basura at iniwan sila sa bahay.

Malinaw na pananagutan ng pamahalaan na pangalagaan ang buhay, pagkain at mga batayang pangangailangan ng mga batang ito at ng buong sambayanang Pilipino. Subalit sukdulang kahirapan, kagutuman at di makataong pamumuhay ang ibinigay ng gobyernong ito.

Walang moral na batayan ang sinuman na manatili sa poder lalo na sa pinakamataas na katungkulan kung ang pusisyon na ito ay ginagamit lamang upang magkamal ng yaman para sa sarili habang ang mamamayan ay naghihirap at namamatay sa kagutuman.

Bilang simbahan na nagtataguyod ng buhay, marapat lamang na makiisa ang simbahan sa malakas na pagbatikos sa pandarambong ng kaban ng bayan at pang-aabuso sa kapangyarihan. Hindi dapat manahimik at lalong hindi dapat magbigay ng lantarang suporta ang mga Obispo kay Gloria Magnanakaw Arroyo. Habang sinasakyan ni Arroyo ang pro-Life na pusisyon ng simbahan, dapat lamang na manguna ang simbahan sa pagbatikos sa mga patakaran at programa ng isang kurakot na pangulo na numero unong sumisira at nagkakait ng buhay at dangal sa milyun-milyong Pilipino!

Sa kabila ng basbas ng mga Obispo na pikit-mata sa mga kasalanan ni Arroyo, kami at ang mga pangkaraniwang taong simbahan ay kasama ninyo. Tulad niyo ay ramdam na ramdam namin ang kahirapan, at hindi kami magpipikit-mata sa imoralidad ng gobyernong ito. Kasama niyo kami sa paglaban at paniningil na managot ang gobyernong Arroyo sa walang habas na pandarambong sa kaban ng bayan at ekonomya kaakibat ng marahas na panunupil at pamamaslang. Pahirap sa Masa! Patalsikin si Gloria!
 

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July 23, 2008
Press Statement

Let us end deceit and falsehood!

It was not very long ago when President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared that our country will be among the ranks of first world countries. Now, we are depending on our Asian neighbors for rice, workers and professionals are jobless, more people are leaving the country to work abroad, more people are hungry, prices of basic goods and services are soaring, issues of graft and corruption in high places persist and the lingering questions on the legitimacy of her presidency have confined the people of this would be "first world" republic into heightened misery.

In a few days, national focus will be at the opening of Congress and Senate as she delivers her state of the nation address. As in the past, it will be grand. Her minions will applaud the way she wants it.

With the undeniable acute economic crisis, is the reality that justice is far off from the victims of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. To this date, command responsibility has been conveniently cast aside and only a handful of low-level perpetrators have been convicted. These along with the continuing human rights violations in the rural areas and in the domain of indigenous peoples have been and continue to be committed as part of the government's anti-insurgency campaign. Such militarist and repressive response to legitimate dissent continues to isolate her government from the people.

This year's SONA is an appropriate time for all of us to go into serious group discussions on the true state of our nation and why we are in such a crisis. While we are all desperate to survive, the hope that our Christian faith offers bids us to stand against deceit and cunning. The Gospel tells us that truth will set us free. But such can only happen if we remain vigilant against those who willfully cover it for their selfish ends.

Thus, the NCCP reiterates its willingness to cooperate with all agencies in efforts to make the people of this land enjoy their rights to dignity and uphold the constitutional provisions that mandate the same (e.g. Article II, Sections 9 & 10 among others). But, the NCCP will also remain resolute in its understanding that genuine change can begin to take place if the roots of poverty and dissent are properly addressed by those in authority. Concretely this means:

1. Reviewing if not repealing laws and executive orders that enable companies to raise the price of oil with impunity;
2. Enacting laws that ensure the protection of Philippine industries and that the natural resources of this country be tapped responsibly and for the benefit of the people
3. Resuming the peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front in the genuine pursuit of a just and lasting peace.

We also reiterate our call to be unceasing in prayer for the breaking down of walls that block the way for social transformation. Let us not grow weary in acts of service and prophetic witness that enable the liberating truth to blow across our land. Let us join and participate in common actions that express more genuinely the sentiments of the majority. May our toils be directed not only for our own personal prosperity but also for our neighbors, our community and the generations to come.

Bishop Solito K. Toquero
Vice Chairperson
 

Rev. Fr. Rex RB Reyes, Jr.
General Secretary
National Council of Churches in the Philippines
879 EDSA, West Triangle, Quezon City 1104
Phone: 9293745
fax:9267076
email: library@nccphilippines.org

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GMA's SONA of Lies
Frank Fernandez
Spokesperson
NDF - Negros
July 27, 2008

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo thru her SONA cannot hide the truth from the people on the real situation of the country and who are responsible for the worsening of hunger and poverty suffered by the people. Her Arroyonomics is clearly a FAILURE in the face of the deteriorating economy gearing towards depression and collapse.

Arroyonomics triggered the quick descent of the semi-feudal economy of the country. Her economic theory is to adopt and implement the policies of liberalization, deregulation, privatization and denationalization, fiscal reforms by implementing high taxes dictated by imperialist countries while stopping the development of the economy thru genuine land reform and nationalist industrialization. The crisis cause by Arroyonomics had hit the people below the belt (stomach). ►►►

The people suffered more when she implemented the terroristic war of Pres George Bush in her OBL (Oplan Bantay Laya) against the revolutionary forces and the progressive movement.

The only people who benefited from the crisis were the camp of the Arroyo family, the big bourgeois compradors and landlords, politicians, governement officials, AFP/PNP, warlords and foreign capitalists. They monopolize the wealth of the country, super profits and stash funds from government coffers.

The exploitative and repressive laws and policies of the US-Arroyo regime has a deep effect of the sufferings of the people. Tiempos Muertos now run for the entire 12 months (1 year) for the workers, peasants, urban poor who carry the burden of extreme poverty, hunger, joblessness, cheap wages and high prices of commodities and services.

Instead of addressing the problems of the people, the Arroyo regime intensified the unproductive reactionary war OBL2 that worsened the spate of political killings, violations of human rights and international humanitarian law commited by AFP and PNP troops.

On the other hand, under the Arroyo regime, those who reap the bounty of graces were Eduardo Cojuangco Jr, Mike and Iggy Arroyo, Isidro Zayco, Alfredo Maranon, Herminio Teves, Josy Limkaichong and their kinds. They are the ones who divide and control the dominion of the economy and politics in the whole island.

The people will expect nothing but the worst in a system ruled by US imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism. The grave crisis of the country today teaches us that the only way to genuine freedom and democracy is thru the new national democratic revolution.

PRESS RELEASE
July 28, 2008

FARMERS: SEVEN YEARS OF SONA AND STILL FARMERS HAVE NO LAND

Chanting their disappointment over what they call seven “unlucky” years of grave destitution of the Filipino farmers under the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo presidency, farmers from the city’s rural areas took to the downtown streets for an early protest action in time for President Arroyo’s 8th State of the Nation Address.

Farmers together with lumads from Davao City ’s 3rd district say they belong to the 9 out of 10 Filipinos who are disgruntled and angry with the way the country, especially the agricultural sector, has been run.

“President Arroyo should think twice before letting out promises that are already nailed even before she even finishes her SONA. Since 2001, she has promised cheap rice, prosperous farmers, rice self-sufficiency. Now we dare her to look at the landless farmers eating camote, bananas or nothing at all. Look at the paupers in the street as they are made to beg for two kilos of rice which has tripled in cost,” decried Tony Salubre, acting spokesperson of the Farmers Association of Davao City (FADC-KMP).

Salubre cited landlessness as the prevailing problem of 70 % of the farmers in the region, a big percentage of whom are joining the increasing number of farm workers in banana or other crop plantations who he claim suffer from extremely low and unjust wages.

The protest staged at the Freedom Park showed masked men in the act of beheading a farmer with a sickle, labeled with words E-VAT and RICE CRISIS.

Farmers from Calinan District who joined the protest action complained that they are hardly able to get through a day with food on their stomach.

Manong Jun, a CARP applicant, said with less than Php 3,000 to 5,000 income every harvest time (which happens only every three months), they are forced to thrive on a measly Php 33 to 55 per day.

Manong Jun, said that with the skyrocketing price of rice and oil, made more unbearable due to E-VAT, rice and even the most basic food stuff is becoming a luxury, a dream they might never be able to afford. He also said the rice crisis has put their children out of school.

Salubre said Tomas's condition illustrates the dehumanizing condition of millions of farmers in the rest of the country who are unable to hurdle the country’s mounting economic crisis.

Meanwhile, Pedro Arnado, Vice-Chairperson of KMP- SMR addressed the more than 4,000 protesters in another PEOPLE’S SONA program in North Cotobato .

“Under GMA, this country has gone through the worst economic and political tragedy that this nation has never experienced before. The immorality, corruption, militarism and puppetry that have become the central policy of this regime, has made us the sick man of Asia that we are today,” Arnado said.

Undaunted, Arnado also said the Arroyo presidency has been the worst “executioner” of farmers and lumads who, due to extreme hardship is motivated to struggle and resistance.

Arnado said the death of Celso Pojas, former FADC chair and KMP regional spokesperson is the latest in the hundreds of farmers killed under the Arroyo regime.

“In this regime, it is either you die of hunger or you die with bullets as you fight for land, food and work,” Arnado said. #

Reference:
Tony Salubre
FADC-KMP Acting Spokesperson
Pedro Arnado
KMP – SMR Vice-Chairperson
Media Desk: 0929-5594534 (Daday)

29 July 2008

GMA’s 2008 SONA: A Cover-up!

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s 2008 State of the Nation Address (SONA), was a cover-up of the real state of the country and the Filipino people. GMA’s SONA 2008 further added insult to the unbearable injury passed on to the poor as a result of the regime’s subservience to imperialist globalization. 

Protests took place in various points of the country that reverberate the Oust GMA, drowning the applause from GMA’s minions at the Batasan Complex which was propped up at P90 M just for the 8^th SONA.  In Baguio City, the heavy rains and winds were not able to stop the raging protesters. 

Overall, SONA 2008 was problematic, that we wonder how Congress will knit its brow over it. GMA was consistently escaping the root of widespread poverty - ironically praising oil deregulation law while recognizing the widening poverty due to unhampered oil price increases.  Likewise, GMA did not even know how to end it!

If it had to contain anything of value to the Filipino people, the SONA 2008 should have just said: “I resign”, in the same scripted melancholic “I am sorry” statement.  After today, the people are more enraged than ever at this lying and scheming regime.

“Tough decisions” are anti-people decisions

The fake president harped on self reliance and self sufficiency as key goals that must be achieved. Consistently, she blamed the global crisis for the national economic mayhem, as if her leadership and regime had absolutely nothing to do with it. While it is true that the world capitalist system has created such a crisis, it is incorrect to abuse this as judgment to describe the poverty that beset us.  The world capitalist system has created such a crisis, but globalization policies made our country extremely vulnerable to market speculations and monopolies.  This is what happened to the rice, oil and price crises.  The only way for our country to be truly self-reliant is to break away from imperialist globalization. Yet GMA implements and localizes this, as proven by her anti-people policies that made the Filipino people poorer and hungrier than ever!  

Much to our chagrin, GMA has defended the VAT to high heavens the way she praised her generals in last year’s SONA. In her distorted justification of this anti-people policy which shows her subservience to imperialist globalization.  GMA claims that the VAT shielded the people from the economic crisis!  In truth, the subsidies she claimed as ‘Katas ng VAT’ comes from a very small portion of the total collection, VAT’s primary purpose is debt-servicing aimed at boosting the credit-worthiness of the credit-driven regime. 

It is deplorable how the regime distorts the truth when the very sight of the ordinary Filipino people will say that the VAT only plunged us into worsened impoverishment. VAT as a regressive tax does not take into account the capacity of taxpayers to pay, making the poor more burdened and more violated.   Defending the VAT is an insult to the poor Filipinos already bleeding dry.

GMA worsened national oppression

We condemn her use of human visual aids to prove her so-called achievements, and we strongly condemn her use of indigenous peoples to earn “pogi points” in her SONA, such as the Bugkalot chieftain clad in his traditional attire at the Batasan.  We urge our fellow indigenous peoples not to be dissuaded by her antics and be used in the regime’s propaganda.  The individuals GMA used in her SONA 2008 do not embody the 90 million Filipinos.

Since her term in 2001, GMA had always been staunchly anti-indigenous peoples as she is anti-people. Her stay in power worsened national oppression of indigenous peoples by violating individual and collective rights through programs and policies.  In the regime’s mining liberalization program, 18 of the 23 priority mining projects are located in indigenous territories, five of which are in the Cordillera. Sixty six percent of the region’s total land area is already applied for by various mining applications, on top of the large mining operations already taking place. GMA is proud of the issuance of Ancestral Domain titles to indigenous territories in Aurora, Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya, yet these are the very areas where large mining is present! The titles are merely ploys to facilitate the entry of destructive projects. Violation of indigenous peoples rights was unprecedented under the regime, with 120 documented cases of extrajudicial killings of IPs from 2001 to present. GMA was even  cautious not to say anything related to human rights because clearly, nobody will believe another thing she will say about human rights, much more her regime’s promotion of human rights. It will be an insult to the memory of the 1,000 victims (EJK and enforced disappearances) of her regime if GMA will dare claim of any achievement in the human rights front. We are in a state of undeclared martial law, and we do not want another term of state terrorism.►

PRESS STATEMENT: July 27, 2008

The 2008 State of the Nation Address tomorrow will be an opportunity for the fake president to cheat, lie, and steal once again from the people. There will be no surprises, because this is what she is, historically.

Here is how she cheated:

Contrary to her claims of a “strong economy”, and “the peso getting stronger against the dollar”, a Pulse Asia survey revealed the following: 2 out of 3 Filipinos or 66 percent are of the opinion that the state of the economy has worsened during the last three years. An overwhelming majority, 71 percent, considered themselves as poor. A survey by IBON showed that 79.33 percent considered themselves as poor with 70 percent having difficulties in covering their basic needs.

According to the official 2006 poverty incidence statistics, 26.9 percent of families, or 27 million Filipinos, fall below the poverty line, an increase from the 24.4 percent or 20.1 million Filipinos registered in 2003. This is even based on a very low poverty threshold of P41.25 ($0.93 at an exchange rate of $1=P44.23) per person per day.  But the same Family Income and Expenditure Survey of the National Statistics Office also shows that 80 percent of Filipino families are struggling to survive on P284.33 ($6.428) a day, with the poorest 10 percent having incomes of only P90 ($2.03) a day. With an average family size of five, these figures translate to 68.2 million Filipinos subsisting on P56.87 ($1.285) a day. (from Bulatlat)

With the above statistics, there is already an overwhelming indication that she cheated or shall we say, deceived Filipinos of the “Strong Economy” hype.

And now the lying.

Early on when NBN-ZTE deal scandal was exposed, she kept mum and shied away from the press when her opinion was sought as if to allow the congressional hearings due course to show the public that “she has nothing to hide”. But when Jun Lozada came up, notwithstanding their efforts to “vanish” him, there was this “executive privilege” that the witnesses invoked when called upon to testify about the NBN-ZTE and other scams. And so it was exposed that the president was not at all interested about the issue. Evidently, she was not interested to let the truth out.

Finally, the stealing.

With the deepening economic crisis, at a time when Filipinos are confronted with the weekly oil price hikes, soaring rice prices, relentless increase in prices of basic goods, exorbitant tuition fee increases and aggravated by joblessness, low-wage, and diminishing income, it is too much, and unbearable even, to steal from them.

Overpriced by P532 M, the Macapagal Boulevard is the most expensive highway on the world. In the midst of the rice crisis, what would P728 M (Fertilizer Scam) do to ease out the hunger of Filipinos especially the people of Davao del Sur who line up daily just to avail of the NFA rations? These, and many other issues like the Jose Pidal Account (P200M), the Northrail Project ($503 M), the Comelec Automation Project (P1.2 B) would be enough reason to say, ENOUGH OF GLORIA!  ###

THE PEOPLE OF DAVAO DEL SUR SAY, ENOUGH OF GLORIA!

OUST GMA!

Citizens Alliance Unified for Sectoral Empowerment (CAUSE-DS)

Nagkahiusang Mag-uuma sa Davao Del Sur (NAMADDS)

Anakbayan – Davao Del Sur

On graft and corruption

GMA was shameless enough to say that she has been battling graft and corruption, taking into consideration stronger measures and being self-righteous about it, even encouraging the Congress to pass an Anti-Graft Act.  It is absurd, when we all know that most of the large scams such as the ZTE NBN deal and the fertilizer scam involve the Firs Family and the president herself. GMA should stop invoking Executive Privilege and subject herself to legislation/process on the graft and corruption cases filed against her and the First Family.  Public opinion perceives her to be the most corrupt president in the history of the Philippines.

The people know

GMA does not care for the people!  Even with her repetitious claim in the SONA that she cares, the people would not believe her.  We are too tired of her lies and deceptions amidst glaring realities of hunger, poverty, fascism and plunder.  GMA should resign if she had any decency left.

The only correct thing to do is for the people to further unite and march in step for GMA’s ouster. This is the clarion call for every Filipino, for the immediate relief from this national crisis.

Enough of Gloria, Oust GMA! #

REFERENCES:

Windel Bolinget, Secretary General, Cordillera Peoples Alliance

Chie Galvez, Secretary General,Tongtongan Ti Umili

July 29, 2009