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Oust GMA mov’t gains headway in Baguio-Benguet

BAGUIO CITY(July 14) — A broad alliance of organizations and individuals calling for the immediate resignation of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) formally launched the Gloria Step Down Movement (GSM) Baguio-Benguet on July 13 at the Mandarin Restaurant here.

The GSM is composed of representatives from the youth, women, gays and lesbians, church and organizations of health workers, teachers, government employees together with progressive people’s organizations and individuals.

Youth Demanding Arroyo’s Removal (Youth DARe) representative Jado Bongadon said PGMA should resign now to fulfill her moral and political duty to the youth and to the entire nation. Youth DARe is an alliance of youth and students from different schools, communities and universities calling for the resignation and ouster of PGMA.

Bishop Juan Marigza of the United Church of Christ of the Philippines (UCCP) bishops and a convenor of GSM said that UCCP issued a pastoral statement calling for PGMA “to relinquish her post right away.” He said GMA’s confession is an acceptance of ineffectiveness to lead the Filipino people towards a peaceful and united nation.

“We assure forgiveness but justice should be served,” he added.

Marigza further questioned the pronouncements of local officials expressing support to the president. He said that the local officials failed to consult their constituency about their true position on the political crisis.

Marigza added that the position of the local officials does not necessarily reflect the position of the citizenry.

“When Drilon said that the president is welcome to stay in Iloilo, was it really the position of all the people of Iloilo? Even Drilon is now asking the president to resign,” Marigza said.

On July 12, Baguio Congressman Mauricio Domogan, along with several local government officials, expressed his support to PGMA in a press conference.

Meanwhile, the Regional Development Council (RDC) decided to pass a resolution signifying its support to PGMA during their meeting on July 14 here.

Itogon Mayor Mario Godio said during the deliberations on the said resolution that some local government heads are compelled to support the president because their towns are dependent on the national budget and the internal revenue allotment (IRA). He added that Mayor Jejomar Binay could afford to call for the resignation of PGMA because his Makati is self-sufficient.

Atty. Gina Alvarez, another GSM convenor, stressed that resigning from her post is the most honorable thing the president could do at the moment.

“I don’t know where the president gets the nerve to smile despite the political and economic pains she has caused the Filipino people,” she said.

Sectors unite

Even before the launching of GSM, various sectors have launched different protest actions. On June 30, the Youth DARe led a mini-concert where all performances revolved on the ouster of PGMA.

Workers, the urban poor, representatives from the different sectors and progressive organizations from Baguio and Benguet also staged a march rally on July 7.

On July 12, students from the University of the Philippines Baguio (UPB) led by the interim UPB Supreme Student Council (UPB SSC) and the Alliance of Concerned Students (ACS) hit the streets with the call “Resign, Impeach, Patalsikin” (RIP) the president. The students later marched to Session Road and held a program at the People’s Park that ended with a noise barrage. UPB SSC and ACS are member organizations of the Youth DARe.

On July 14, government employees, health professionals, and the church sector discussed alternatives in governance in a forum at UPB. Atty. Albert Velasco, president of the Katipunan ng Manggagawa sa GSIS (KMG), discussed government employees’ basis of unity in the call to oust GMA.

For 5 years under the Arroyo administration, the situation of the 1.4 million government employees has gone form bad to worse, he said.

“Our salaries never increased since GMA became president, despite the increase in prices of basic goods and services. But it is ironic that government can allot budget for debt servicing, but not for the salaries of government workers”, he said.

Velasco also mentioned the issues at the GSIS, whose services no longer benefit its constituents.

“Dati takbuhan ng government employees ang GSIS. Ngayon hindi na natin ito mapakinabangan dahil sa mga polisiya ni Winston Garcia” (The GSIS has failed to deliver its services to government employees because of these policies imposed by Winston Garcia), he said.

A broad alliance of government workers, the Rise All Government Employees 2 (RAGE 2), was formed amid the snowballing call for GMA’s resignation, Velasco said.

“We called it RAGE 1 in 2001 during the campaign to oust former president Joseph Estrada”, he added.

Transition council

He also discussed possible alternatives to the current crisis, which, in essence, supports the proposal for a transition council.

Velasco explained that the transition council would set the necessary preparations for the elections that will truly uphold the people’s choice, “thus doing away with the likes of COMELEC’s Virgilio Garcillano and Benjamin Abalos, to make the elections credible”, he said.

He stressed that the transition council would “correct corrupted institutions”.

“The Garci tapes are a reflection of the nation’s state of democracy, with regard to these institutions that should be serving as watchdogs of democracy”, he added

Velasco added that basic sectors would be involved in governance through the transition council.

“What we need is fundamental change. You cannot expect that from the ruling clique. They would not want to change the prevailing system of governance because they benefit so much from it”, he said.

The basic sectors, on the other hand, know the roots of their crisis, and they would have definite alternatives to address these, such as agrarian reform for the peasants, he added.

Velasco explained that the representatives to the proposed transition council “would not just be anybody; dapat matagal nang nakikibaka at hindi matitinag” (one who has been in the forefront of the people’s struggle, on who can stand his principles and not be corrupted).

“We would not want to namedrop on this, but it has to be someone who is credible, principled; on who can make decisions and stand by these; and should come from the basic sectors”, he said.

Velasco said that it could take the transition council one to two years to implement its program.

On July 13, some 80,000 people gathered in Ayala Avenue in Makati City and demanded the immediate resignation of PGMA. The biggest single delegation came from Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) with a contingent of 30,000.

The protests were punctuated by chants “Gloria Arroyo, pekeng pangulo: patalsikin, arestuhin, pagbayarin!” (Gloria Arroyo, fake president: oust her, arrest her, make her pay). # Kim Quitasol and AT Bengwayan with reports from Karen Nisperos for NORDIS

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