Davao City—The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) lambasted House Speaker Prospero Nograles for his rabid support of the martial law declaration in Maguindanao in a picket rally at his Davao City office today as members of the House deliberated on the Proclamation No. 1959.
John Birondo, Bayan Southern Mindanao spokesperson, said “Speaker Nograles is leading the Lower House in another conspiracy to support Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s attempt to manipulate and cover-up the state’s culpability in the Maguindanao Massacre by issuing Proclamation No. 1959.”
“Ever the sycophant and Gloria’s lapdog, Nograles is securing the numbers to justify the highly dubious and immoral martial declaration in Maguindanao, even as most legislators want it lifted because of its lack of constitutional basis,” Birondo noted.
Bayan along with militant solons Rep. Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza questioned at the Supreme Court the veracity of proclamation 1959 that have placed the entire province of Maguindanao under Martial Law.
“What the entire Filipino nation, and the whole world want to see is a profound action from the government that will genuinely bring justice to all the victims of Maguindanao Massacre. PP 1959 is uncalled for as all that should be done is to put behind bars the Ampatuans and military and police authorities who were accomplices to the heinous crime,” Birondo stressed.
Bayan also slammed the rebellion case filed against the Ampatuans and other accomplices of the massacre saying that it was “a clear sabotage to the quest for justice because the rebellion charge will easily be dismissed for lack of merit.”
“What the Ampatuans did was a clear act of sheer violence, and not a rebellion; there are no political and ideological grounds germane to their acts that may constitute rebellion. Apparently, the rebellion charges will easily exonerate the Ampatuans and all other criminals of the Maguindanao Massacre,” Birondo said.
“They are not rebels. They are criminals and they deserve to be remembered and treated as such,” Birondo raised.
Bayan also added that “The declaration of martial law in Maguindanao should not be treated in isolation. The Arroyo regime’s propensity to declare the entire nation under martial law can be proven with its implementation of the calibrated pre-emptive response (CPR) against protest actions, the Presidential Proclamation 1017 or the state of national emergency, the so-called Human Security Act (HSA), and the calibrated attacks and harassment of progressive leaders and activists,” Birondo said.
“The bleak past of our nation under Marcos regime’s martial law has taught us Filipinos to always be on guard of our human rights. Let it be a reminder that Marcos’ fascism had caused the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians – a record which the Arroyo regime had already surpassed even without officially placing the entire nation under martial law,” Birondo added.
Meanwhile. Bayan also slammed Gen. Jovito Palparan’s statement that he and his group plans to focus their campaign in Davao City.
“Palparan is a murderer of activists and his presence in Davao City would mean killing, torturing and abducting progressive individuals.” Birondo concluded.
For reference:
John Birondo
BAYAN-SMR Spokesperson
Contact #: 09396568925
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