Sheltered
by two big tents, about 500 people from different peoples’ and political
organizations, like the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan or New
Patriotic Alliance), Black and White Movement, Akbayan, and Oust Gloria
Movement, held a vigil dubbed as “Bantay Batasan” (Guard Batasan) near
the south wing entrance of the House of Representatives.
They want
to make sure that their impeachment complaint will be the first to be
filed at the office of the House Secretary General tomorrow at 8 a.m.,
when the one-year ban on the filing of an
impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
expires.
To be sure
that there will be no other complaint to be filed first, particularly
that which will preempt the filing of a genuine impeachment complaint,
Congressional staff members of Bayan Muna (People First), Gabriela and
Anakpawis (Toiling Masses) have been assigned to guard all entry points
to the Secretary General’s office.
A program
featuring performances from cultural groups, showings of films such as
“Crisis and Repression”, “Stop the Killings”, “The Face of Terrorism”,
“Calibrated Preemptive Response”, “Ode to Democracy”, and “The People’s
Verdict” by Kodao Productions, and speeches started at 5 p.m. and will
end by 12 m.n. Morning exercises, like Tai chi, will done to wake up the
crowd at 7 a.m. By
8 a.m.,
all will proceed to the office of the Secretary General for the filing
of the People’s Impeachment Complaint.
Bayan
Secretary General Renato Reyes said that the filing of the complaint is
about “seeking justice for Mrs. Arroyo’s victims” and for “making the
president accountable.”
The
verification of affidavits by the complainants was also being done
simultaneous with the program at the office of the Minority.
Families
of victims of human rights violations from the provinces traveled to
Quezon City to take part in the filing. Among them were families of
slain activists Romy Sanchez of Ilocos Sur, Beng Hernandez of
Davao,
Leo Punzal of Bulacan, Isaias Manano, Eden Marcellana, and couple
Expedito and Manuela Albarillo of Mindoro Oriental.
More
wanted to take part in the “Bantay Batasan” but the Lower Congress
allowed only 500 people.
Reyes
warned that there will be more people from various sectors who will
troop to the Lower House tomorrow and that “the secretary general’s
office may be too small to accommodate the many people who are
interested in signing the impeachment complaint.” Bulatlat
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