“You were never our President and never will be!”

MILITANTS JOIN THOUSANDS OF FILIPINOS IN BIGGER
PROTESTS TO FINALLY OUST GMA AND CALL FOR THE
ESTABLISHMENT OF A TRG

In response to President Arroyo’s DZRH radio interview on February 23 emphasizing that she is the only President of the country and that she will not leave Malacañang until her term ends in 2010, militant groups led by the socialist labor center Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino and the broad democratic alliance Sanlakas reiterated calls for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’ s resignation saying, “She was never our president and never will be!”

Leody de Guzman, President of BMP asserted, “Mrs. Arroyo’s ascendancy into power after the May 2004 elections is fraught with lies, cheating and controversies. How dare her to even mention that it is only Garci (referring to former Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano) who can attest to the truth whether she really cheated or not during the last presidential elections. All available evidences point to the fact that she did talk to Garci (even when she’s not supposed to) and manipulated the results of the elections in order for her to win the presidency.”

“However relevant, illegitimacy is just now one of the questions here. The fact that after four years into power, the Filipino people are dismayed over the left and right corruption scandals perpetrated by her husband, sons or herself and that no specific genuine reforms have been felt by the people in terms of programs of governance, food and agriculture, education, health and job security – all the more that GMA’s presidency has diminished by the day,” adds de Guzman further.

Sanlakas partylist representative JV Bautista stated, “Thus, we enjoin a growing number of Filipinos discontented with her brand of syndicate-style
politics and governance, and her neglect of social development projects intended to alleviate the poor and working men and women of this country from the quagmire of poverty. It is therefore our duty as Filipinos to join protests and actions like the February 29 inter-faith and multi-sectoral rally in Ayala in Makati City to send a strong message to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that resigning from her post in Malacañang will save this country from social chaos.”

“But we believe that the imminent moral and social decay of Philippine society no longer rests upon the shoulder of GMA alone. We are witnessing institutions such as the House of Representatives, the Senate, the Commission on Elections and even the Supreme Court failing the people’s expectations and collapsing amidst the political bickerings, conspiracies and controversies haunting these very institutions of power. What we need is a new government – a government that is free from the cheating and empty rhetorics of the fraudulent elections, a government with powers emanating from the trust and confidence of people from the grassroots and not the trapos, a government ready to undertake genuine reforms and social change. We believe that only a transitional revolutionary government can carry all these ideals and principles altogether,” expounds the Sanlakas representative.

“We thus support the earlier call of Bishop Lagdameo for a ‘new and improved people power’ that will install not a new president of the same brand of politics and governance and neo-liberal program strategy like VP Noli de Castro. This is why we will never be absent in today’s protests nor in the rallies in the days ahead. When all these institutions of power start failing us, we are set to make history happen again. We believe that there is still hope, there is still TRG!” Bautista exclaims.

BMP, Sanlakas and other people’s organizations such as Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng Maralitang Lungsod (KPML), Zone One Tondo Organization (ZOTO), Kalayaan!, Aniban ng Manggagawa Sa Agrikultura (AMA), Makabayan, etc. will assemble in two main areas around 2pm: organizations coming from the Northern part of Metro Manila and Bulacan will meet at Boni Ave. in Mandaluyong, while groups coming from Cavite, Southern Tagalog and the Southern part of Metro Manila will convene at Magallanes. The two groups will then converge at Buendia Avenue by 3:30pm to join other multi-sectoral alliances scheduled to participate in the 4pm Ayala inter-faith and multi-sectoral rally.

Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) - SANLAKAS - KALAYAAN!