I was in the
protest rally outside Batasan yesterday, where around 10,000 others gathered to proclaim the real state of the nation, instead of listening to Arroyo's address. The different sectors were there, including foreign delegates.
Fiery speeches were delivered along with cultural performances. The giant effigy and the stage background captured the general theme of the day: Gloria as Hitler, conducting a fascist rampage, killing the Filipino people.
Despite the
heavy rain, the crowd was lively and the protest mood was very high.
It was only yesterday night when I got a chance to read the full text of the fake president's address. Earlier, I heard the radio reporting the opposition's opinion on the SONA, saying it was a 'PR speech' full of unrealistic promises and not a state of the nation. It was also said to be a 'blueprint' or a program of action, as if the president is still campaigning and haven't been in power for already five years.
The observations were true, the SONA was a boring geography lesson full of unimportant, or perhaps even manipulated data, on local situations in the provinces and regions. As promised by the Arroyo "Boyoyong boys" (Mike D., Bunye and others), it avoided the political issues and the issues confronting the presidents' legitimacy. The truth was, except for a few overemphasized but unrealistic data on lower poverty levels and development, she said nothing on the general state of the nation.
I was somehow expecting an answer related to the people's sentiments, but instead I see in my head, while reading the SONA text, an image of Arroyo blabbering irrelevant data, her head down, trying hard to look away and avoid the people asking so many valid questions on her legitimacy and governance.
It got to my nerves when I saw the part which lauds Palparan, take note that the speech doesn't even have a part alloted her all-out war program but just injected this part to the economic plans for the regions: "nakikibaka sa kalaban si Jovito Palparan. Hindi siya aatras hanggang makawala sa gabi ng kilabot ang mga pamayanan at maka-ahon sa bukang-liwayway ng hustisya at kalayaan. (Palparan is struggling against the enemy. He will not retreat until the communities become free from their enslavement to the terror of the night and reach the dawn of justice and freedom.)"
After that, as if intending to be really confusing about the policy of murdering activists and taking us Filipino people and the rest of the concerned people around the world for stupid asses who doesn't think, she says: "In the harshest possible terms I condemn political killings. We together stopped judicial executions with the abolition of the death penalty. We urge witnesses to come forward. Together we will stop extrajudicial executions. "
Shit. And then she goes on with her blabbering.
I say this speech is an act of a coward. It has come to a point where Arroyo knows that whatever she says, she wouldn't be able to make the people believe her. What does she do? She murmurs and hopes that nobody hears her. She avoids contact and refuses to address essential topics.
This poor Hitler wannabe couldn't even give a proper speech to address the people. I heard a UP professor say on ANC that the SONA may be intended to address the members of Congress, the Filipino people or both. In this speech, the writers were addressing themselves, the "Boyoyong boys" might have been the only concerned ones in this blabbering. I'm sure they're all pleased with their kalokohan.
What's more important than what Arroyo said in this SONA is what she DIDN'T say. I think we, the people, really aught to have our own version of the SONA during the next few days. Let's proclaim the real situation of the Filipino people and bring to Arroyo's face the thing she's most afraid of: the fact that one year after her last SONA, her presidency is still in crisis, the fascist moves she implemented failed to stop protests, and her dictatorial crimes have only raised the people's anger against her to a new, more serious level and into a situation which is only getting more dangerous for her, her "Boyoyongs" and her fascist government. ###
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The Supreme Court has
ordered the NOLCOM and Gen. Jovito Palparan to produce the two missing UP students Karen and Sherlyn on July 24, 10am at the Court of Appeals.
The parents of Karen and Sherlyn
filed a petition for habeas corpus at the Supreme Court last Monday to compel the military to produce their daughters and Manuel Merino, a local farmer from Hagonoy, Bulacan.
The SC is the only court which hears habeas corpus petitions.
Below is a copy of the resolution issued by the First Division of the SC dated July 19, 2006:
Sirs/Mesdames:
Quoted hereunder, for your information, is a resolution of the First Division of this Court dated JULY 19, 2006
G.R. No. 173288 (In the Matter of the Petition for Habeas Corpus of Sherlyn T. Cadapan, Karen E. Empeño and Manuel Merino represented by Spouses Erlinda T. and Asher P. Cadapan and Concepcion E. Empeño, petitioners, vs. Major Gen. Romeo Tolentino, Gen. Jovito Palparan, Lt. Col. Rogelio Boac, Arnel Enriquez and Lt. Samson, respondents). -- Considering the special proceeding for Habeas Corpus, the Court resolves to: (a) ISSUE the Writ of Habeas\nCorpus, returnable to the Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals, Ma. Orosa, Manila who shall IMMEDIATELY RAFFLE the assignment of this case among the Justices thereat and the assigned Justice shall thereafter HEAR the petition on July 24, 2006 at 10:00 a.m., DECIDE the same and SUBMIT a report thereon; and (b) REQUIRE [1] the respondents to PRODUCE the persons of Sherlyn T. Cadapan, Karen E. Empeño and Manuel Merino before said assigned Justice on July 24, 2006 at 10 a.m.; and [2] the Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City or his deputies to immediately SERVE the writ and petition and to make a RETURN thereof as provided by law.
Very truly yours,
ENRIQUETA ESGUERRA
Clerk of Court
First Division
The Hon. Presiding Justice (x)
Court of Appeals
112
Major Gen. Romeo Tolentino
Camp Servillano Aquino
Tarlac 2300 Tarlac
Respondent
Gen. Jovito Palparan
Fort Magsaysay
Laur 3129 Nueva Ecija
Respondent
REX J.M.A. Fernandez
34-B Maamo St, Sikatuna Village
1191 Quezon City
Manila
Counsels for Petitioners
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I ended up with a cast covering my right arm as treatment to the broken wrist I obtained during the violent dispersal. The guy in the picture got busted open and had to have his head stitched and all.
SIPAT video coverage clips
here,
here, and
here.
Coverage of ABS-CBN, a major TV network, was captured by arkibongbayan.org
here.
Photos and video clips of UP protests held during the same day also posted
here.
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for updates and statements on the 2nd impeachment complaint, visit the iMonitor blog.
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More than 1,000 youth and students trooped to Mendiola in yesterday's youth protest march against Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's P1 billion murder fund for her all-out-war policy. "
May pera sa gera, wala sa eskwela! Books not Bullets!"
After a 1-hour program in front of FEU Morayta (blockaded by dozens of police troops and a fire truck), we decided to re-route towards Legarda to assert our march to Malacanang.
Corner of delos Santos and Legarda streets, where we were once again barred by police troops from reaching the main road.
A brief stand-off..
..before the police commenced with their bludgeoning.
Paolo Alfonso, University of the Philippines University Student Council Chairperson, was bloodied after attempting to negotiate with the police.
Polly Pulido of KARATULA (Youth Artists for Genuine Freedom) suffered major injuries as well.
And even members of the media covering the event were not spared.
This reporter from The Washington Post witnessed the violence.
She asked, "Why are the police hitting the young people? That's not right."
To which we would have replied, "In this country, nothing runs right anymore."
(all photos and video stills courtesy of arkibong bayan and abs-cbn news)
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We met with the
family of Karen and Sher in a press conference today. A fellow youth leader remarked that talking with the family of the missing persons was really difficult. There is really no way you could take it lightly.
Bulatlat notes the shift from killings to abductions. Talking to the family of the victims, I realized how hard the situation is for the family of the victims of forced disappearances. I did not know what to say when I met Karen's father, it was very insensitive of me, but out of lack of things to say, I blurted out:
"Ano pong balita? (what are the updates regarding the two?)"
He looked at me, thought of what he was going to tell me, his eyes looking really tired and said:
"Lahat na pinuntahan namin, kung saan-saan na kami nakarating, iyan din ang hanap namin. Wala pa kaming balita."
Karen's mom said that her eldest daughter, Karen's sister, had a dream last night and that in her dream she saw Karen screaming for help.
This was perhaps the hardest thing for the relatives of victims of forced disappearances: never getting to know what really happened to their loved ones. Perpetually worrying, fearing what their captors could have done to them. Always guessing how they are, desperately hoping they're alive and okay.
There have been 178 reported cases of abductions since Arroyo came to power in 2001. Another 7 people have been illegally abducted today.
Here is the unity statement for the immediate release of Karen and Sher. Here is the online petition for their release. And here Sarah posts a poem for Karen.
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UP students held a protest run for the release of abducted classmates Karen and Sher yesterday.
Adarna, who knew the two personally,
posts her thoughts on the abductions. What pissed her and
Ellen Tordesillas the most, is
Palparan's statement saying they were "confirmed rebels" and that "the people in the village were glad they were gone." Who, by the way, was the main feature in the Sunday Inquirer Magazine (no link, we don't want you to waste your time with 700 words worth of bullshit.)
Gerry
reports that Sher Capadan was a former Philippine Soccer team member, and that Karen Empeno was the niece of a former Inquirer
correspondent in Central Luzon.
Is UP under attack? Weeks before the news of the abductions, there came reports of UP campus militarization. Another report here. But there's no stopping the UP students' protests.
In other news: Armed men torch radio station in Cagayan apparently operated by Bayan Muna. `Tagaytay 5' tell tale of terror in police custody.
Gonzales scores Senator for talking peace with the NDF.
In Bantay Impeachment 2: Ka Teroy Llamas' widow, another priest to sign impeachment complaint, and students challenge CHEd to endorse impeach monitor information campaign as the gov't institution did with Cha-cha.
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I was in the protest rally outside Batasan yesterday, where around 10,000 others gathered to proclaim the real state of the nation, instead of listening to Arroyo's address. The different sectors were there, including foreign delegates.
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