“Genuinely serving the Filipino people will not be straight and narrow and the Filipino women challenge President-elect Noynoy Aquino to take the path none of his predecessors traversed.” This was the message of GABRIELA National Alliance of Women in the Philippines in the restaging of their satirical fashion show dubbed Project RunAway: The Season Finale.
The Project RunAway Season Finale focuses on the anomalies in the recently concluded national elections and the challenges the Aquino administration should face. The show is an allusion to Noynoy’s daang matuwid campaign slogan, a dare for him to take the lead by action, not by abstract rhetoric.
“The first step towards this supposed righteous path starts with sending to jail Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her minions accountable for the numerous crimes they committed against the people,” said Emmi de Jesus, representative of Gabriela Women’s Party and vice-president of GABRIELA.
De Jesus emphasized that Noynoy should make good of this promise. “The elections are over and the challenge for him to heed this clamor of the people looms high. Only then could he make a clean slate and bring on meaningful change to governance.”
Another point of challenge posed by GABRIELA to Aquino is for him to prove himself truly for the interest of the Filipino people, and not a US puppet.
According to Lana Linaban, GABRIELA’s Secretary General, “we have reason to fear that Noynoy’s regime will be no different to that of his predecessor in kowtowing to US dictates, from economic policies to perpetuating unfair and biased agreements like the Visiting Forces Agreement.”
“Noynoy pronounced that his administration will work for “better US-Philippine relation,” and by experience such diplomatic jargon is a mere euphemism for continuing the lopsided relation with the US government. But we remind him of the commitment he made as one of the senators who signed the proposed resolution that aimed to review the agreement, and we assert that he make good of that said commitment. With this in view, we take the liberty of challenging him into pushing instead for genuine national patrimony and freeing the country from all unilateral agreements that only compromises the interest of the Filipino people,” Linaban added.
GABRIELA notes that abrogation of VFA is just one of the urgent demands of women. Equally important demands by the sector to Noynoy’s administration are the following: cease demolitions of urban poor communities, create gainful employment, immediate release of political detainees, and crafting of policies and programs related to reproductive health and passing into law the Reproductive Health Bill.
The fashion show was a part of the victory and thanksgiving celebration of Gabriela Women’s Party in relation to the success it achieved in the May elections.
“Gabriela Women’s Party would not achieve what it has without the united strength of the Filipino women masses at its foundation. And this united strength will ensure that Gabriela Women’s Party will forge ahead in the fight for rights, welfare and interests of women, children, OFWs and the rest of the Filipino people, whether in the parliament or in the street. ” de Jesus concluded. (Bulatlat.com)
Public Information Department
GABRIELA National Office
