Sa panayam ng Kodao Productions kay Ka Satur Ocampo, presidente ng MAKABAYAN Coalition hiningi ang kanyang opinyon hinggil sa inilabas na Board of Inquiry (BOI) Report kaugnay sa insidente sa Mamasapano.
Sa panayam ng Kodao Productions kay Ka Satur Ocampo, presidente ng MAKABAYAN Coalition hiningi ang kanyang opinyon hinggil sa inilabas na Board of Inquiry (BOI) Report kaugnay sa insidente sa Mamasapano.
Sa panayam ng Kodao Productions kay Ka Satur Ocampo, presidente ng MAKABAYAN Coalition hiningi ang kanyang opinyon hinggil sa inilabas na Board of Inquiry (BOI) Report kaugnay sa insidente sa Mamasapano.
Thousands of students walked out of classes today to call for the resignation of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III over the Mamasapano offensive a day after the Board of Inquiry released their report on the bloody operations.
The students also condemned the “unlimited” tuition hikes under the Aquino government. They called for justice for Rosana Sanfuego and Kristel Tejada, students who took their lives after they were unable to pay for tuition and campus fees.
University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman walkout
The students opposed the “yellow-washing” of the Mamasapano investigations and condemned the Aquino government’s efforts to “cover-up and hide the truth from the public.”
In UP, campus administrators including UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan and several college deans took part in the protests.
UP Diliman walkout
UP Diliman
Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Manila walkout
Campus walkouts started at 10am and “blackout” marches in campuses were held in the afternoon.
Students from the University of the East, Ateneo de Manila University, Miriam College, National Teachers College and many others also held campus “Blackout Protests for Justice.” Similar youth protests were also held in Baguio, Pampanga, Laguna, Legazpi, Iloilo, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao.
Univeristy of Sto Tomas (UST) walkout
Monumento, Caloocan City
“The BOI report further exposes BS Aquino as a liar and a traitor. That American soldiers were seen in the command posts confirms that they were running the show. Aquino betrayed the nation and sacrificed the lives of Filipinos in the altar of US terror war. Buking na buking na po kayo ng taumbayan, Mr. PNoychio,” said Vencer Crisostomo, national chairperson of Anakbayan.
Crisostomo meanwhile said the BOI report may have already been doctored when it was not released immediately to “yellow-wash” President Aquino’s role. He also said the refusal to continue the hearings in the lower house, the termination of the Senate hearings and the suspension order on Makati Mayor Junjun Binay are part of efforts to “misdirect and deceive.”
University of the Philippines (UP) Manila walkout
UP Manila
“Aquino is entangled in his own web of lies. His desperate efforts anger the Filipino people further. Today we walkout against BS; no more lies, no more injustice, no more impunity,” he said.
Videos of the UP Diliman walkout can be viewed in the Anakbayan facebook page by clicking the following links:
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1059433084072121
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1059433974072032
(Photos and videos are from Anakbayan National Office)
Mendiola, Manila
February 27, 2015
Various groups today marched to the historic mendiola bridge to again press for the resignation of President Benigno Aquino III in the aftermath of the bloody Mamasapano incident. This time the multisectoral groups were joined by students from different universities in Manila who marched from different points going to Mendiola. It was the first big protest march to Mendiola one month after the Mamasapano incident.
“From EDSA we return to Mendiola, which is near the seat of power. We come from various communities, school and workplaces demanding that the current leadership step down and that a People’s Council for National Unity, Reforms and Peace be established,”said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr.
“The people’s demand for genuine change is spreading across the country. The lying president must go along with the rotten social system. People Power should lead to something more beneficial than just a change of leadership and a return to the old ways,” he added.
Speakers at the protest action discussed Aquino’s role in the Mamasapano incident, corruption issues, human rights violations, failed social services and other economic issues.
The protests come at a time when the French president Francois Hollande is holding a 2-day state visit to the Philippines. “Aside from brushing up on his French, now would be good time for Aquino to read up on the French revolution to remember what motivates people to rise up in struggle,” Reyes added.
The groups decried the Palace cover-up of aquino’s role in Mamasapano. “The Palace story line changes every week. The congressional hearing are being influenced to clear the President of any liability and instead pin all blame on officials such as General Napenas and General Purisima to run the operation along with the involvement of the US government,” Reyes said.
“We will be awaiting the results of the probe of the Board of Inquiry next week. we however won’t be surprised if the report clears the President of any wrongdoing. That is already a given. Still, from what has been revealed so far, the president cannot escape accountability,”he added.
More mass protests are expected to take place in the coming weeks in anticipation of the release of the finding of the PNP Board of Inquiry and as hearings at the House of Representatives are set to resume.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBFa5FKqoxg
February 25, 2015
This year’s EDSA anniversary coincides with the first month of the Mamasapano incident and what could well be the worst political crisis to hit the Aquino administration. Protests across the nation were held to call for Aquino’s accountability in Mamasapano. In Manila, groups held an interfaith prayer and human chain despite being blocked by hundreds of police along EDSA Santolan.
February 25, 2015
This year’s EDSA anniversary coincides with the first month of the Mamasapano incident and what could well be the worst political crisis to hit the Aquino administration. Protests across the nation were held to call for Aquino’s accountability in Mamasapano. In Manila, groups held an interfaith prayer and human chain despite being blocked by hundreds of police along EDSA Santolan.
“The nation is at a crossroads. Whether to simply accept a lying, inept and puppet President or to continue the great tradition of People Power for genuine change. We choose the latter. We choose to fight for truth and accountability and meaningful change. Thus, Aquino must go,” said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr.
“The past month has seen the President repeat one lie after another in order to escape accountability in the Mamasapano debacle. Aquino merely shuffles the blame between SAF Director Napenas to suspended PNP Chief Purisima. Aquino takes none for himself. He has no regrets authorizing a suspended general to run the operation,” Reyes added.
Bayan said that Aquino’s biggest sin to date is authorizing a suspended PNP chief to run a sensitive operation via remote control while disregarding all necessary government coordination. “The problem is not that Purisima lied to Aquino. The problem was Aquino placing a suspended official in charge and relying on that official instead of the proper government officials and agencies. The problem was the President all along. Now he lies to us repeatedly to cover-up his role,” Reyes said.
Bayan said that Aquino cannot continue invoking the memory of his parents and the anti-dictatorship struggle just to shield himself from any accountability. “EDSA was also about holding those in power accountable. Aquino cannot make himself an exception in the quest for truth and accountability,” Reyes added.
“EDSA is not about one color (yellow) nor the plight of one family. It is about the people rising up for change,” he added.
Power of the People
The group said that in the face of the lies and cover up of the President, the people are called on to summon the great tradition of “people power”.
“The power of the people is truly realized in united action. It is a potent weapon for change. Yet in the past, its fruits have largely been enjoyed only by a few, as the rotten social system remains. It is therefore necessary that people power yield something more than business-as-usual outcomes,” Reyes said.
In calling for a People’s Council for Unity, Reforms and Peace to immediately replace Aquino before holding elections, Bayan is hoping that the next people power would be more beneficial to the people and would pave the way for more meaningful changes.
“Apart from calling on Aquino to step down, the people demand land reform, national industrialization, sovereignty and peace. There is of course no illusion that one ‘people power’ would be able to achieve all these. It would necessary that the people wield their power as often as possible to advance these goals,” he added.
Bayan will lead a march to Mendiola on February 27 to again call on Aquino to step down. It is expected to be the first major protest near the Palace after the Mamasapano incident. ###
Open letter to nationalist, pro-people AFP and PNP troops
OPEN LETTER
By OMAR IBARRA
Spokesperson, NPA Western Agusan Norte-Agusan Sur Subregional Command
26 February 2015
Warm greetings!
The recent turn of events challenges you to make a stand.
The near-annihilation of the 84th SAF-PNP troops in Maguindanao shows the division and dissension of your ranks in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and and Philippine National Police. This is how it
happened: under US orders for the capture of an alleged terrorist
under the framework of its “war on terror”, your commander-in-chief, Benigno Aquino III, violated your chain of command and all due processes, through a faction of generals led by General Purisima.
Despite the ongoing ceasefire and peace negotiations between the
government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front, Aquino ran over all agreements to implement the US
orders. Now, he and his officials exhaust all efforts to wash their
hands of culpability after wasting the lives of 44 SAF personnel.
This incident clearly indicates the ineptness of your commander-in-chief in mobilizing your forces. He only complies with the dictates of his imperialist master and his local instigators. Now it has resulted in endless bickering and finger-pointing among military and civilian officials, and has undermined the morale of the whole organization of AFP and PNP.
Even in areas of the New People’s Army, particularly here in Front
88, Aquino uses you under the design and in furtherance of the
interests of US imperialism and local ruling classes.
You are aware that the AFP and PNP brings, not genuine peace and
development, but terrorism to our area in order to pave the way for
the entry of the foreign company, Metro Luxury Mining.
Aside from combat operations, your psy-war and intelligence activities under COPD have intimidated the lumad and peasant masses here. They are further terrorized by the activities of your counterrevolutionary paramilitary groups such as Bagani Force in La Paz, Loreto and San Luis, and Wild Dogs or BULIF in Esperanza and Las Nieves. These have resulted in the forced evacuation of families in their hundreds in a score of communities in San Luis, for several weeks now. Can you then say that you are waging a war against terrorism when your government itself sows terror against the people in furtherance of foreign economic interests?
We are aware that most of you, like us, come from the poor classes,
and that you are only forced to become soldiers and policemen because of the lack of better employment opportunities so you can feed your families. It must be made clear, however, that your service only
benefits a few foreign and local exploiters, while you suppress the
just struggle of the poor.
While you are being used as pawns in this war, you are also used by
your senior officials in enriching themselves. Taking for instance the so-called modernization programs of AFP and PNP. Have you benefited from the billions of pesos of funds allocated for these? Are you aware of the modus operandi concerning the Balik-Baril program where higher military officials pocket most of the funds allocated for fake NPA surrenderees and recycled firearms?
Despite the massive defeat in Maguindanao, should you trust your lives to Aquino as commander-in-chief after he denied culpability in such failure and failed to express sympathy to the families and loved ones of those killed?
Aquino has a lot to answer for, not only to you soldiers and policemen but to the whole Filipino people who are victimized by US imperialism’s economic and political aggression. His puppetry to
foreign interests and dictates, as well as his state terrorism against his own people, gives a push to intensifying calls for his ouster from Malacañang.
While the movement for the ouster of Aquino rages, we appeal to your
nationalist and humanitarian stand. You have a significant role in the removal of an inept president from power as exemplified by your
withdrawal of support from Marcos and Estrada. Arroyo, on the other
hand, was almost ousted when soldiers and policemen mutinied against massive corruption, violence and fraudulence.
Thus we encourage you to take the side of the broad people, especially the poor, against the trampling of our integrity and dignity as Filipino people by US imperialism. While you are serving the reactionary government, we implore you to avoid abusing the human rights of the masses, respect the people’s call for the withdrawal of COPD troops and their struggle against CADC and big mining and other foreign corporations.
Most importantly, you should make a stand and make common cause with the people’s call for the ouster of your commander-in-chief, Benigno Aquino III.
Witnesses at the “People’s Hearing on Mamasapano” organized by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and held last February 20 at Plaza Miranda in Quiapo, Manila recall accounts by residents of Mamasapano, Maguindanao of the presence of United States personnel and war materiel in the botched operations.
In this video, an alternative journalist, a congresswoman, and a university professor establish foreign intervention at what is turning to be the biggest political crisis that hit the Benigno Aquino government. All three were members of the fact-finding mission that interviewed relatives of civilian victims in Mamasapano two weeks after the incident.
Panayam ng Kodao Productions kay Prof. Jose Maria Sison hinggil sa war on terror ng US.
February 17, 2015
5. Bakit po kaya sinasabing makapangyarihan ang US sa lahat ng mga bansa sa daigdig? Hindi po ba talaga maaaring tumutol ang isang bansa kung ayaw nila sa mga polisyang pang-ekonomiya na inilalako ng US sa kanila?
JMS: Makapangpayarihan ang US hindi lamang dahil sa monopolyo kapital nito kundi dahil sa malaking lakas militar nito, laluna ang kanyang hightech military equipment.
6. Madalas pong sangkot ang US sa mga gerang agresyon partikular sa ilang mga bansa sa Middle East, hindi po ba nauubos talaga ang kanyang mga gamit pandigma? Hindi po ba nagagalit ang mamamayang US sa ginagawa ng kanilang pamahalaan?
JMS: Ginagawang negosyo ng US ang paggawa ng mga military equipment at ginagamit nito ang mga kagamitan na ito para sa mga gerang agresyon para mangibabaw sa mga bansang may malaking likas yaman, laluna sa gas at langis. Pero magastos ang gera, masyadong magastos at itinataya ang kabang yaman ng bayan at buhay ng mga sundado. Sa agresyon ng US sa Irak at Afghanistan, naglustay ang US ng higit na 4 na trilyong dolyar at libu-libong buhay ng mga Amerikano. Kung gayon, nagagalit ang masang Amerikano sa paglustay sa malaking pera ng bayan at buhay ng mga Amerikano.
7. Maaari po ba kayong maghalimbawa ng bansang lumaban na sa US at nagwagi.
JMS: Lumaban sa US at nagwagi ang mga mamamayan ng Korea, Cuba, Byetnam, Kambodya at Laos.
(Photo from http://commons.wikimedia.org/)