"You know, against the advice of my legal counsel, I followed your recommendation to admit and apologize. Now I’m getting all the flak and I’m constrained to use muscle." - Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
So this is what Arroyo means when she talked about "using muscle" to crush the anti-arroyo protesters.
Abante-Tonite: Kinukuyog ng mga awtoridad ang dalawang raliyista sa tagpong ito sa marahas na dispersal sa rally kahapon. (Devery Alegata)
Abante: Bagsak ang isang babaeng rallyista makaraang puwersahang binuwag ng awtoridad ang rally laban sa kasalukuyang administrasyon dahil sa kawalan ng "permit" sa kahabaan ng Morayta, Manila City kahapon ng umaga. (Devery Alegata)
Read the story here on the violent protest dispersal here.
Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes said they filed for a permit to hold a rally with the city government of Manila on September 27, but they have not heard from the office of Manila Mayor Lito Atienza despite follow-up calls.
"This only shows that even if you apply for a permit to hold a rally, wala ring kuwenta kasi hindi pinapansin," Reyes said.
Joel Cadiz, president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, said under BP 880, a permit is deemed approved when the mayor fails to act on the application within two days after filing.
Reyes said the Commission on Human Rights would send observers to monitor the conduct of the rally. Some 20 lawyers from the IBP are also expected to provide legal assistance to protesters.
"The repeated violent dispersal of peaceful mass actions is already alarming. There is now a clear policy of intolerance and heightened repression. We Filipinos have a responsibility to question and challenge this policy in the courts and in the streets," he said.
Fr. Joe Dizon of the GSM said government has no legal basis to block and arrest them. "We warn the police and the administration against repeating the violent dispersal on October 4," he said.
He said Arroyo is worse than Presidents Ferdinand Marcos and Joseph Estrada who were both ousted following popular uprisings.
"Marcos had the conscience to declare martial law. GMA never did that. What is ironic is that GMA herself is a beneficiary of a protest action and now she is suppressing protest actions. We are worse off today. She has surpassed Marcos in cheating. She has surpassed Eap in jueteng," he said.
Reyes, asked if it would be better if Arroyo declares martial law, said: "It’s not like choosing the lesser evil. Any form of martial law will be opposed."
Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, chairman of the United Opposition, said police brutality is a reflection of the mindset of an insecure administration that has no qualms about using force to further its own selfish agenda.
"We can’t understand the bestial treatment of the rallyists by the authorities na kahit na-neutralize at nakadapa na yong mga raliyista ay pinagpapalo pa nila," Binay said.
Binay also lambasted Arroyo’s "calibrated pre-emptive response" policy, which replaced the "maximum tolerance" policy, saying even in wartime, when a combatant is no longer capable of putting up resistance, no more suffering is inflicted on him.
"Pero dito sa atin kaiba. Di na nga lumalaban at nakadapa na, pinapalo pa rin," he said.
More here and here.
Walang patawad. Even the erap admin wasn't this bad in dealing with protesters. this is the same treatment the FPJ supporters got nung nagprotesta sila laban sa pandaraya noong 2004.
Sabi ng admin, "No permit, no rally" raw, but we know that Arroyo rule is unconstitutional. And when the mayor of Manila Lito Atienza, a pro-Arroyo ally, refuses to issue rally permits, in an effort silence dissenters, what can you do?
And a must-read article from Manuel L Quezon III: Where Are the Freedom Parks of Philippine Democracy?
UPDATE: Ngayon ko lang napansin ito sa article ng Malaya
He also said plainclothes policemen arrested protesters, which is also a violation of BP 880 that says only uniformed personnel can make arrests.
Nanunood ako kanina ng "24 Oras" sa ch. 7, at marami ako nakitang pulis na nahuling nambubugbog ng mga rallyista on video kahit na nakadapa na ang iilan sa kalsada. Kahit mga babaeng rallyista pinagsusuntok ng mga pulis.
Excessive talaga yung reaction ng mga pulis sa mga protesters.
At napansin ko na marami sa mga pulis na ito ay walang nametags sa uniform nila or naka-civilian lang sila.
Which only means one thing: They were planning to use violent, excessive force against the protesters from the very beginning at ayaw nilang ma-identify sila ng media at mga photographers na nandodoon rin dahil alam mali ang gagawin nila at malamang na makasuhan sila ng human rights violations.
If the police thinks they are not doing anything wrong, bakit wala ang nametags nila at maraming naka-civilian? Bakit ayaw nilang magpa-identify?
When they took off their nametags, and started beating up on the peaceful protesters marching, hindi na pulis ang tingin ko sa kanila. They became Arroyo's goons and hired thugs that day.
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5 comments:
"but we know that Arroyo rule is unconstitutional."
Can you give basis for this? In what way is her presidency unconstitutional. Can you site specific provisions in the Constitution so as to enlighten us, the viewers of your blog. That is, if you don't mind.
"And when the mayor of Manila Lito Atienza, a pro-Arroyo ally, refuses to issue rally permits, in an effort silence dissenters, what can you do?"
I believe that this question has already been answered by some HR groups that there's still this existing BP which has not been repealed that provides the rallyists with certain remedies..
Sir, before commenting on certain current issues, I suggest you look at both sides first, and don't just gather news or editorial clips from different sources all representing solely the anti-GMA side. It would be helpful to be objective in such critiques..
There are 4 stations that I'd call pro-Arroyo - Ch. 4, 9, 13, and RJTV. Anything else that I'm missing? The news approach of 24 Oras suggests that Ch. 7 can't be pro-Arroyo.
"but we know that Arroyo rule is unconstitutional."
Can you give basis for this? In what way is her presidency unconstitutional. Can you site specific provisions in the Constitution so as to enlighten us, the viewers of your blog. That is, if you don't mind.
It's the "no permit, no rally" rule is unconstitutional, oblivioius observer.
is her presidency "unconstitutional"? I prefer to use the word illegitimate and use adjectives like fake and bogus to describe the so-called "president."
"And when the mayor of Manila Lito Atienza, a pro-Arroyo ally, refuses to issue rally permits, in an effort silence dissenters, what can you do?"
I believe that this question has already been answered by some HR groups that there's still this existing BP which has not been repealed that provides the rallyists with certain remedies..
oh yeah? like what, oblivious observer?
There are 4 stations that I'd call pro-Arroyo - Ch. 4, 9, 13, and RJTV. Anything else that I'm missing? The news approach of 24 Oras suggests that Ch. 7 can't be pro-Arroyo.
i'm not so sure. didn't they try to censor the PROBE team's report on PAGCOR's corruption on orders from Mike Arroyo and Efraim Genuino, which led to cheche lazaro and bernadette sembrano's resignation and the cancellation of the long-running, multi-awarded show?
at bakit hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin pine-play ng ch. 7 ang GLORIAGATE tapes sa TV? kung si erap ang nandoon sa "hello garci" tape na yan, you think GMA7 would be afraid to play the tapes???
nope, guess not.
besides, the gov't channels reported on the violent dispersal too. does that mean they "can't be pro-arroyo" also.
The Malaya newspaper reported on all the erap and lacson scandals, but that doesn't mean they are pro-arroyo, anti-erap or anti-lacson. PHLSTAR reported the GMA GLORIAGATE scandal too, but does that make them "anti-arroyo". Of course not. Dapat tignan mo yung slant ng reporting nila.
[Formerly anonymous]
Analyzing the slant would be an instructive exercise and deserves a topic of its own.
The Probe issue was indeed suspicious, though I have doubts. I read around and found out that the expose was aired a few months later. Had it not been aired at all, I would have been convinced that the network sided uncritically with Arroyo.
My perception's debatable, but I would describe 24 Oras's approach as "contrarian," - ample airtime for everyone but slightly more credence to statements/actions of opposition figures (Perhaps ABC-5's reporting matches my above definition more closely).
It might be possible that what we're seeing is the result of an uneasy compromise of differing viewpoints inside Ch. 7. The critical mass exists to display some skepticism of Arroyo's position but not enough to sift through the tapes, I suppose.
The Probe issue was indeed suspicious, though I have doubts. I read around and found out that the expose was aired a few months later. Had it not been aired at all, I would have been convinced that the network sided uncritically with Arroyo.
I link, you decide.
- GMA7's Censors Probe Team's controversial report
- The end of The Probe Team, the end of an era.
- GMA 7’s "clarifications" and Cheche Lazaro's response
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