Gonzales,
AFP Accused Anew of Mounting
Dirty Tricks vs Party-List Groups
 President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s national security adviser is being accused of
mounting widespread black propaganda against Bayan Muna (BM) and five other
progressive sectoral political parties in the run up to and during last
Monday’s national elections. Such incidents were orchestrated no less by
National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales in coordination with the Armed
Forces of the Philippines, the national police and certain military-backed
party-list groups, it was reported.
by
dabet castańeda
Bulatlat.com
President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s national security adviser is being accused of
mounting widespread black propaganda against Bayan Muna (BM) and five other
progressive sectoral political parties during last Monday’s national
elections.
The
accusation came from Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo in reaction to reports of
black propaganda paraphernalia circulated last May 10 against the party-list
groups as well as cases of continuing illegal arrests against some of their
organizers.
Interviewed
by Bulatlat.com on May 13, Ocampo said such incidents were orchestrated
no less by National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales in coordination with the
Armed Forces of the Philippines, the national police and certain military-backed
party-list groups.
Ocampo
however said that the dirty tricks of Gonzales and the military appeared to be
not paying off as initial results of the May 10 elections showed Bayan Muna and
the other allied party-list groups leading in the counting of ballots.
Bayan
Muna’s monitoring center said that in Negros Occidental a paid advertisement
in two local papers tagged Bayan Muna and five other progressive party-list
groups as “communist fronts” and “threats to national security.” Local
papers in Baguio City and the province of Ifugao carried similar ads.
Two
dailies
BM’s
monitoring center also revealed that in Metro Manila, copies of at least two
dailies, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Philippine Star, had leaflets
inserted supposedly from the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the New
People’s Army (NPA) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).
The leaflets bore a congratulatory message for the six left party-list groups
– BM, Anakpawis, Anak ng Bayan, Gabriela Women’s Party, Migrante and Suara
Bangsamoro - for “taking the communist agenda in the Lower House.”
In
Davao City in Mindanao, posters saying “Bagbagan ang Paghahari sa mga
Komunistang Bayan Muna, Anak ng Bayan, Anak Pawis, Migrante, Gabriela at Suara
Bangsamoro” were posted all over the city. The posters were reportedly
signed by a certain “Alliance of Rebel Returnees-Mindanao Chapter,” the BM
monitoring center also said.
In
other parts of Mindanao, elements of the military circulated information that
the six party-list groups are fronts of the NPA. In Davao Oriental, the same
posters were posted by a certain “Octopus Group” reportedly operating under
the AFP, BM said.
In
Basilan, text messages saying “wag iboto mga NPA e2” (don’t vote
for the NPA) referring to the six party-list groups. The text message brigade
was reportedly led by a certain Colonel Labrador of the 18th Infantry
Battalion of the Philippine Army (IBPA), reports from the monitoring center
said.
ANAD
vs six party-list groups
The
alleged AFP-backed party-list Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (ANAD) was
also reportedly active in black propaganda campaign against the six
Left-party-list groups, the monitoring center said.
In
parts of Mindanao, particularly in Zamboanga, Basilan, Saranggani, Sultan
Kudarat, South Cotabato, Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur members of ANAD were
spreading lies that the six Left party-list groups have been disqualified by the
Commission on Elections (Comelec), reports from the monitor center said.
Ocampo,
first House nominee of Bayan Muna, asserted that these black propaganda came
from the office of Gonzales who, he said, has been waging a demonization
campaign against the six Left party-list groups even during the election
campaign period.
Gonzales,
whose party-list group PDSP lost in the 2001 elections, has reportedly warned
his office will continue to monitor the six party-list groups and will charge
them after the elections.
“But
we’re ready to confront whatever legal steps they would throw against us,”
Ocampo told Bulatlat.com.
Bayan
Muna had earlier filed libel charges against Gonzales with the justice
department over the latter’s statements that the party had funneled millions
of funds to the NPA.
Illegal
arrests
In
Tacloban City, Leyte in central Philippines, five Bayan Muna members were
illegally arrested on May 9 while distributing sample ballots.
BM–Tacloban chair Lovely Estoya, secretary general Fredie Tabuloc and
members Eduardo Signo, Donato Labrento, and Delsa Galangue, were detained at the
Tacloban jail. No cases have been filed against them but a certain Col. Arnulfo
Cruz, chief of the Tacloban police, reportedly tried to prevent their early
release. Three of those detained were released on May 10 while the two others
were set free the following day.
In
Bacolod City, members of BM and the Gabriela Women’s Party distributing sample
ballots were harassed by policemen, the BM monitoring center revealed.
The sample ballots were confiscated, a report from the monitoring center
said.
Ocampo,
meanwhile, said the actions of Gonzales, ANAD and the military have been a
failure because Bayan Muna, together with the other progressive party-list
groups, is leading the race for the fight for sectoral representation in
Congress.
He
said that the alliances built during the three-month campaign and the surveys of
Pulse Asia and the Social Weather Station have shown that despite the black
propaganda, the progressive parties enjoy wide support from the Filipino people.
Widespread
irregularities, violence
In
a related development, Patriots, a poll watchdog composed of church people,
civic leaders, teachers, health professionals and government employees held a
prayer rally on May 11 to protest the widespread irregularities and violence
that marred the elections.
Patriots,
or Movement for Peace, Justice and Good Governance, said its monitoring showed
that many voters were disenfranchised, threatened, harassed and coerced before,
during and even after the elections. At least 20 per cent of the country’s 43
million voters were unable to vote, the poll watchdog said.
The
poll watchdog also reported that there were widespread disenfranchisement of
voters, massive vote-buying, delayed opening of precincts and unusual brownouts
in different regions. There were also reports of omission of names and
disinformation against the six Left party-list groups, the Patriots said in a
statement.
The
Patriots’ hotlines have received reports of complaints of electioneering. The
most notable of these, Dizon said, was the showing of television ads extolling
the accomplishments of President Arroyo on election day itself.
“As
a movement for peace, justice, and good governance, we will not let this mockery
come to pass,” said Fr. Joe Dizon, Patriots initiator. “The Comelec should
answer for this.” Bulatlat.com
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