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Women leaders under attack

Gabriela Women’s Partylist Representative Liza Largoza Maza asserted on March 13 her innocence, dismissing the evidences presented by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) as “a complex tissue of ridiculous lies, done without research. They even had to resort to the dirty tactic of shuffling hearing schedules because they know the evidence they manufactured can not stand up to the truth.”

Ms. Maza says that the DOJ is only fabricating stories accusing the Batasan 5 (Reps. Liza Maza of Gabriela Women’s Party, Satur Ocampo, Teddy Casino, and Joel Virador of Bayan Muna and Rafael Mariano of Anakpawis) of being in Batangas on February 20 to meet with coup plotters. She called the DOJ’s act ridiculous and challenged the DOJ to check out the House’s records on her whereabouts that day. 

The Gabriela Solon said that on February 20, the day of the alleged coup plotters’ meeting, she had a 10 AM meeting in Sulo Hotel with Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) Undersecretary Saturnino Ocampo and the faculty and students of the Philippine State College of Aeronautics. At about 2:15 P.M., she had a meeting with Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mariano Alquiza, after which she presided over a staff meeting in her office. Records at the House will show she was at the plenary session and even had guests from the Juvenile Justice Network, the Council for the Welfare of Children, Amnesty International and Kaibigan ng Kalikasan Philippines.

Maza also assailed the PNP’s choice of a gay manicurist to play the star witness against them. “It is condemnable that the PNP and the DOJ would choose a gay person to act out a lie in this fascist farce. This is demeaning to the gay community.”

According to Maza, she is not surprised that the Arroyo regime, in its desperation, would resort to manufacturing evidence against them.

“Bent on crushing all avenues for redress, they are ready to do anything to silence critics like us so that they can continue to hold on to power. If they can manufacture certificates of canvass and election results, it is no surprise that they can manufacture affidavits and evidences,” Maza said.

Maza also said the statement of President Arroyo quoted last Saturday as saying that the Batasan 5 “have committed a crime and are committing a continuing crime” as “prejudging case, and in violation of the separation of powers of the executive and the judiciary. Her statement is an order for the courts to bind us. The DOJ has followed suit, complying with Mrs. Arroyo’s not so subtle order by fabricating lies.”

GMA is already running amuck. Innabuyog condemns the inclusion of other respected leaders of the national women’s movement, among them Emmi de Jesus and Elisa Tita Lubi  of Gabriela national, Luz Ilagan, a national officer of the Gabriela Women’s Party and Cora Espinosa, vice-chairperson of Gabriela-Davao and Maza.  GMA is already resorting to dirty tricks, going after women leaders who are only voicing out the legitimate demands of Filipino women. They have not committed any crime but fight for the rights and interest of Filipino women from the democratic classes and sectors. It is ironic that a woman president, who is trying hard to hold on to power, is criminalizing progressive women leaders.

Any woman who raises her criticisms on the GMA’s degenerating administration can be a victim to GMA’s witch-hunting. #

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