Outside of Congress:
The real state of the nation

Basahin ang artikulong ito sa Pilipino

Tens of thousands of people marched towards Congress on July 22 to air their grievances and expose the real state of the nation. In confronting them, the regime demonstrated what it meant by a �strong republic� by deploying 8,000 policemen along Commonwealth Avenue and laying down the �no tolerance� policy for the demonstrators. The peaceful assembly ended in a bloody confrontation when the police began throwing rocks and arrested protesters. Eleven men, including an attorney, were arrested by the police. Thirteen were injured in the incident.

BURNING ISSUES

Leaders of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and its allied organizations condemned Macapagal- Arroyo�s bellicose words that spoke of a �strong republic� � which is nothing more than a coverup for her weak and unstable rule. BAYAN said that this meant none other than intensifying repression and suppression by the regime on the people opposed to her regime. They likened it to the Marcos dictatorship�s �New Society� that resulted in the systematic suppression of civil rights and widespread violations of human rights.

�Lies� � this was what the Bayan Muna congressmen called Macapagal-Arroyo�s much-vaunted �victories�. They said that the people neither see nor feel the effects of the regime�s �achieved� targets. The congressmen believe that Macapagal-Arroyo will use suppressive measures (like the �counter-terrorism� bill) not only against those she considers terrorists but also against her political rivals and the people.

Popular urban poor leader Nanay Mameng provided a counterpart to Macapagal-Arroyo�s SONA. Nanay Mameng�s 15-minute speech on the real state of the Filipino poor ended with a call for Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo�s ouster.

Among the thousands of urban poor who attended the protest were the three children from Payatas that Macapagal-Arroyo used as part of her �paper boat� gimmickry and to whom she made certain promises during last year�s SONA. The children said Macapagal-Arroyo did not fulfill her promise of providing housing for the residents of Payatas and justice for the hundreds who were buried in garbage in a terrible tragedy in July 2000.

National minorities roundly condemned the Macapagal-Arroyo regime for its systematic neglect of their welfare even as it allows giant foreign corporations to grab their ancestral lands, extract their natural resources and destroy their way of life. They said that the regime has been systematically implementing a policy of genocide against them through �development� projects and military operations.

According to the Moro-Christian People�s Alliance, the regime attacks Islam in its continued support for US imperialism�s �war against terrorism�. Many Moros have been illegally arrested and accused of being �terrorists� merely because of their religion. They gave as example the seven Moros arrested in a madrasah (religious school) in Pangasinan in May.

Scientists and researchers likewise attended the protest action to expose the pathetic state of research and development in science and technology. They said that funds and support promised for these endeavors were nothing but hot air.

Filipino-Americans called attention to widespread violations of human rights of Filipinos in the US in the name of the �war against terrorism�. They said that after the September 11 attacks, the US implemented racist and oppressive policies that have resulted in the deportation of 479 Filipinos. Many other Filipinos lost their jobs by virtue of their nationality � including 28,000 airport controllers who were recently terminated due to racial profiling, a security measure taken by the US because of its fear of Arabs and other races.

Macapagal-Arroyo should confess and ask forgiveness for her political and economic errors � this was the call aired by the Promotion of Church People�s Response. They said that Macapagal-Arroyo should confess her sins against the people � in particular, her failure to reduce electricity rates and the prices of prime commodities.

IN OTHER AREAS

Baguio City. A hundred protesters marched, carrying a cardboard effigy of a giant termite. The effigy that was made to resemble Macapagal-Arroyo � because she accused her former allies now turned critics of being �termites� � rode on a huge paper boat.

Iloilo. Two thousand people marched through the streets of Jaro and Molo. Among them were peasants who brought sprayers to eradicate the Philippines� biggest pest � Macapagal-Arroyo, the termite queen.

Bacolod. A giant termite was also what 500 protesters brought as a symbol of the �national pest� � the Macapagal-Arroyo regime.

Davao City. Some 5,000 persons put the Macapagal-Arroyo regime on trial before a people�s court in the city�s Rizal Park. The verdict: Guilty! The sentence: Ouster from power!

31 July 2002
English Edition

	Macapagal-Arroyo�s "strong republic": Advancing fascism and neocolonialism
	Human rights violations claim 37,000 victims
	The illusion of development
	Outside of Congress: The real state of the nation