‘Hello, Garci!’ ringtones make waves in New York rally
An increasing number of Filipinos in Canada, the United States, Hong Kong and Europe want President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to resign now. Their demand came up in protest rallies held in major cities abroad last week.
By Bulatlat
Bulatlat.com
An increasing number of Filipinos in Canada, the United States, Hong Kong and Europe want President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to resign now. Their demand came up in protest rallies held in major cities abroad coinciding with the 50,000-strong rally held July 13 in Ayala, Makati City in the Philippines led by militant organizations together with anti-Arroyo traditional opposition parties.
Reports from Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal with big populations of Filipino-Canadians showed most of them are demanding the ouster of Macapagal-Arroyo.
Cecilia Diocson, national chair of the National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada (NAPWC), said Filipinos from all walks of life, including the middle class, are disgusted over Macapagal-Arroyo’s “stubborn refusal to step down despite strong evidence that she cheated in last year’s presidential elections.”
In Vancouver last week, hundreds of Filipinos rallied outside the Hilton Hotel where a $50-a-plate farewell dinner was held for Philippine Consul General Zenaida Rabago. The rallyers called for the president’s ouster.
Many protesters said Macapagal-Arroyo’s ouster is justified and that it is merely a matter of time before she is removed.
With news of protests in the Philippines reaching Canada, Filipinos across the country are trying to make sense of the current political crisis back home. Many are staying up late to monitor TV news and surfing the websites of Philippine news outlets, it was learned.
Other Filipino workers are discussing the issue with their families and other Filipinos in restaurants, churches, buses and homes, reports also said.
Fourth largest
Canada is home to some 500,000 Filipinos spread out across all major cities in Canada. Filipinos are the fourth largest minority group in Canada.
In Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal discussions with domestic workers, service workers and factory workers revealed Filipinos are more than ready to demand Arroyo’s ouster, it was reported.
“Kailangan talaga tanggalin ‘yan” (She really needs to be removed.), said one domestic worker in Toronto. “Abusado siya at nagdaya ng eleksyon” she added. (She’s abusive and cheated in the election.)
“Oo naman dapat lang magresign si Arroyo” (Of course, Arroyo should resign), said Louie a 23-year-old convenience store worker over his dinner in a Vancouver Filipino restaurant.
One of the petitions circulating in Vancouver read Macapagal-Arroyo has “lost legal and moral basis to hold (her) seat as president.”
But the legitimacy of her presidency has been questioned even before the controversial tapes came out, the petition read further, citing increased poverty, Arroyo’s increased dependence on foreign remittances and exploitation of migrant workers through the Labor Export Policy, massive corruption and fascism as reasons for igniting the Filipino people’s anger.
United States
In the United States, hundreds of Filipinos launched coordinated protest actions in New York, Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco calling for Macapagal-Arroyo’s ouster, a report from the U.S. Alliance for GMA’s Resignation (Outrage) said. The actions were held during the International Day of Action highlighted by the Makati rally in the Philippines.
In the Filipino commercial district of Woodside, Queens, New York community organizations Philippine Forum, Anakbayan, the New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (NYCHRP) together with big groups of teachers, lawyers, students and domestic workers streamed out into the streets to condemn Macapagal-Arroyo.
