GMA has not been good to the Filipino youth; we say lift Proclamation 1017, oust GMA!
Statement on GMA’s declaration of a “state of emergency” in the Philippines
February 27, 2006
Militant greetings from the Filipino Canadian Youth Alliance Toronto Chapter! Today we stand together with the Filipino people in condemning Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Proclamation 1017, and in calling for her immediate ouster.
Since President Arroyo’s declaration of the state of emergency, youth and student leaders have been targeted by the police and military. Progressive youth organization Anakbayan reports that since last Friday, they have been receiving reports and complaints “against the presence of SWAT and armed military teams scattered around [the University of the Philippines in] Diliman and [the Polytechnic University of the Philippines] in Sta. Mesa. [These police and military] were allegedly on the lookout for youth and student leaders from the respective universities.”
But GMA has not done anything good for Filipino youth since she came to power; in fact she has only worsened our situation. She has promoted the increase of tuition fees in private schools, leading to a total of 16.5 million student drop-outs; allocated only 14% of the national budget to education, while using 33% for debt servicing; and continued to promote a colonial style of education. Youth also continue to face unemployment, and those who are working face the reality of low wages, contractualization and lay-offs. Peasant youth continue to experience landlessness and displacement. And GMA’s aggressive peddling of cheap Filipino labour to other countries has continued to severely impact the children of migrant workers.
The harassment of youth under the current “state of emergency” is not a new phenomenon. Since GMA stepped into power, she has sanctioned grave human rights abuses against youth leaders who have spoken out against her corrupt and rotten regime, as well as ordinary civilian youth.
• October 13, 2005. Youth and student rallies in Mendiola were violently dispersed. 15 demonstrators were arrested by police.
• April 30, 2005. A 15-year old girl was raped by a member of the Scout Ranger unit based in Bilar Town, Bohol province. This was but one of of a series of rapes of teenage girls in neighbouring towns in the province, by military personnel.
• March 07, 2005. Mer Dizon, Anakbayan Zambales chairperson, was abducted and illegally detained by Philippine Army soldiers.
• January 2005. Anakbayan members Alberto Canedo and Jun Rey Reducto were killed by bicycle-riding vigilantes.
• April 09, 2004. Ronalyn Olea, president of the College Editors' Guild of the Philippines, was dragged by a soldier on a motorcycle in Angeles City, Pampanga..
• March 05, 2004. A 16-yr-old girl was sexually abused, and her fiancée Levy Caganda interrogated by military personnel in Del Carmen, Lagonoy, Camarines Sur.
• September 23, 2003. Marjorie Reynoso, 18; Jonathan Benaro, 16; Lito Doydoy, 27 – all Anakbayan members and community leaders – along with and tricycle driver Ramon Regase Jr., were abducted, tortured and murdered by suspected military personnel.
These examples only comprise a very small portion of the crimes committed by the Arroyo regime against the Filipino people.
As youth who recognize the importance of learning from our history, we see that President Arroyo’s Proclamation of a State of Emergency, or Proclamation 1017, is no different from the former dictator Marcos’ declaration of Martial Law in 1972. Mrs. Arroyo has clearly proven that she is an enemy of the Filipino people, and Proclamation 1017 is a last desperate attempt to quell the growing people’s resistance. But like the youth of the First Quarter Storm who were instrumental in toppling the Marcos dictatorship, we also vow to fight Mrs. Arroyo’s fascist regime and to continue to struggle for our people’s genuine liberation.
We call on our fellow youth to continue in this revolutionary tradition, and we unite with the broad masses of the Filipino people in demanding that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo lift Proclamation 1017, and immediately resign from her position as president of the Philippines.
Lift Proclamation 1017!
Stop the illegal arrests of youth and student leaders and other progressive leaders!
Uphold the Filipino people’s democratic rights!
President Arroyo, resign now or be ousted!
February 27, 2006
Militant greetings from the Filipino Canadian Youth Alliance Toronto Chapter! Today we stand together with the Filipino people in condemning Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Proclamation 1017, and in calling for her immediate ouster.
Since President Arroyo’s declaration of the state of emergency, youth and student leaders have been targeted by the police and military. Progressive youth organization Anakbayan reports that since last Friday, they have been receiving reports and complaints “against the presence of SWAT and armed military teams scattered around [the University of the Philippines in] Diliman and [the Polytechnic University of the Philippines] in Sta. Mesa. [These police and military] were allegedly on the lookout for youth and student leaders from the respective universities.”
But GMA has not done anything good for Filipino youth since she came to power; in fact she has only worsened our situation. She has promoted the increase of tuition fees in private schools, leading to a total of 16.5 million student drop-outs; allocated only 14% of the national budget to education, while using 33% for debt servicing; and continued to promote a colonial style of education. Youth also continue to face unemployment, and those who are working face the reality of low wages, contractualization and lay-offs. Peasant youth continue to experience landlessness and displacement. And GMA’s aggressive peddling of cheap Filipino labour to other countries has continued to severely impact the children of migrant workers.
The harassment of youth under the current “state of emergency” is not a new phenomenon. Since GMA stepped into power, she has sanctioned grave human rights abuses against youth leaders who have spoken out against her corrupt and rotten regime, as well as ordinary civilian youth.
• October 13, 2005. Youth and student rallies in Mendiola were violently dispersed. 15 demonstrators were arrested by police.
• April 30, 2005. A 15-year old girl was raped by a member of the Scout Ranger unit based in Bilar Town, Bohol province. This was but one of of a series of rapes of teenage girls in neighbouring towns in the province, by military personnel.
• March 07, 2005. Mer Dizon, Anakbayan Zambales chairperson, was abducted and illegally detained by Philippine Army soldiers.
• January 2005. Anakbayan members Alberto Canedo and Jun Rey Reducto were killed by bicycle-riding vigilantes.
• April 09, 2004. Ronalyn Olea, president of the College Editors' Guild of the Philippines, was dragged by a soldier on a motorcycle in Angeles City, Pampanga..
• March 05, 2004. A 16-yr-old girl was sexually abused, and her fiancée Levy Caganda interrogated by military personnel in Del Carmen, Lagonoy, Camarines Sur.
• September 23, 2003. Marjorie Reynoso, 18; Jonathan Benaro, 16; Lito Doydoy, 27 – all Anakbayan members and community leaders – along with and tricycle driver Ramon Regase Jr., were abducted, tortured and murdered by suspected military personnel.
These examples only comprise a very small portion of the crimes committed by the Arroyo regime against the Filipino people.
As youth who recognize the importance of learning from our history, we see that President Arroyo’s Proclamation of a State of Emergency, or Proclamation 1017, is no different from the former dictator Marcos’ declaration of Martial Law in 1972. Mrs. Arroyo has clearly proven that she is an enemy of the Filipino people, and Proclamation 1017 is a last desperate attempt to quell the growing people’s resistance. But like the youth of the First Quarter Storm who were instrumental in toppling the Marcos dictatorship, we also vow to fight Mrs. Arroyo’s fascist regime and to continue to struggle for our people’s genuine liberation.
We call on our fellow youth to continue in this revolutionary tradition, and we unite with the broad masses of the Filipino people in demanding that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo lift Proclamation 1017, and immediately resign from her position as president of the Philippines.
Lift Proclamation 1017!
Stop the illegal arrests of youth and student leaders and other progressive leaders!
Uphold the Filipino people’s democratic rights!
President Arroyo, resign now or be ousted!
posted by ukpc-toronto @ 6:00 p.m.
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