This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 28, August 21-27, 2005
Youth Groups March for
Arroyo's Removal
By Carl Marc Ramota Palatino said not even
Malacañang's plot to foil the impeachment complaint in the House of
Representatives can dampen the public's clamor for Arroyo's resignation and
quell mounting street protests. He also warned that moves to crush the
impeachment will only hasten Arroyo's downfall. "Arroyo is already a lame
duck. The current political crisis has rendered her so incapacitated, any move
on her part will surely backfire and sink her deeper in the political
quicksand," he said. Palatino however warned
that youth and students will not hesitate to storm Congress should
pro-administration lawmakers succeed in crushing the impeachment. "Impeachment Monitor"
launched © 2004 Bulatlat
■
Alipato Publications Permission is granted to reprint or redistribute this article, provided its author/s and Bulatlat are properly credited and notified.
Warn to storm Congress if impeachment is blocked
Youth
groups believe the Macapagal-Arroyo government guilty of stealing the youth and
nation’s bright future. They held protest marches and warned they will not
hesitate to storm Congress should pro-administration lawmakers succeed in
crushing the impeachment
Bulatlat
With the theme "Ipaglaban ang
Kinabukasan ng Kabataan at Bayan (Fight for the Youth and Nation's Future),"
more than 1,000 students and youths from different communities, progressive
groups, and political forces led by the Youth Demanding Arroyo's Removal (Youth
Dare) converged in the University belt in Manila last Aug. 16 for the nationwide
Youth March to reiterate the call for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's
immediate removal.
Youth March participants turned the Morayta Avenue into a street court,
declaring Arroyo guilty of crimes against the youth and the Filipino people in a
Youth Tribunal. Youth leaders hit the full-size seal of the office of the
President with a large gavel as a symbolic gesture of the youth's guilty verdict
against Arroyo as impeachment deliberations in Congress resume last week.
”Arroyo is not only guilty of stealing the people's votes and the nation's
coffers. Her education and economic policies have robbed the Filipino youth of
our bright future,” Youth Dare spokesman Raymond Palatino said.
”The education sector experienced the worst crisis under Arroyo. The youth have
all the reason to call for her removal. She is the biggest obstacle to the youth
and nation's bright future,” he pointed out.
He added that all indicators now point to Arroyo's imminent collapse. Palatino
said the looming oil crisis is a result of the government's failure to diffuse a
political-economic timebomb long waiting to explode. He also warned that
government plan to implement the expanded value added tax (E-VAT) law will
further fuel outrage against the president.
"Arroyo and her allies are making one wrong move after another. The mishmash of
jueteng (illegal numbers game) and vote rigging scandals and worsening economic
condition will soon ignite the mother of all political bombs that will blow her
out of Malacañang," Palatino said.
After the main program in Morayta, Youth March participants headed to Welcome
Rotonda in Quezon City (north of Manila) in a torch parade to signify the
youth's continued vigilance on the ongoing impeachment deliberations.
"We hope our lawmakers will still be enlightened and find it in their conscience
to uphold the truth and the people's will," Palatino also said.
Some 500 students from the University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila
also held the Youth March on Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City. The Katipunan
contingent later joined the torch parade to Welcome Rotonda.
Youth Dare chapters and allied organizations also held similar actions in some
key cities in the country.
Meanwhile, Youth Dare recently launched its “Impeachment Monitor” or iMonitor (iM)
to ensure that the impeachment complaint will push through. Palatino said
iMonitor booths or centers will be set up in schools and communities to promote
awareness among the youth and the on the impeachment process and complaint filed
against the president.
"We want to bring the process of impeachment closer to the people – in schools,
communities and other areas of people's concentration. In this way, we could
foster the youth and the public's vigilance and participation in the impeachment
process," Palatino explained.
He added that the group will start its iMonitor campaign in schools this week by
placing huge "watch lists" bearing the names and faces of lawmakers and their
stance on the impeachment. The list includes an honor roll for pro-impeachment
legislators, a "horror roll" or "hall of shame" for anti-impeachment Congressmen
and Malacañang lapdogs and a space for undecided lawmakers.
"We want the students and the public to know who the real representatives of the
people are and those who want to conceal the truth. We will prioritize the
districts of anti-impeachment and undecided lawmakers so that their constituents
will know what their Congressmen are doing," the Youth Date spokesperson said.
Aside from regular lobbying in Congress, Palatino said the iMonitor campaign
would maximize all forms of communication to reach out to more young Filipinos
to convince them to support the initiative and win over lawmakers as well.
"Aside from text messaging, we will flood the internet using e-mails, blogs,
forums and network sites with impeachment bulletins and petition letter for
lawmakers to persuade them to back the complaint," he said.
Earlier, leaders of Youth Dare together with the National Union of Students of
the Philipines (NUSP) and the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP)
gave white roses and ribbons to members of the House committee on justice to
show the youth's hope for the impeachment process. They also tied white ribbons
at the offices of pro-impeachment lawmakers to express their support.
Last Wednesday, young artists from the Kabataang Artista para sa Tunay na
Kalayaan (Karatula or Young Artists for Genuine Freedom) with NUSP and Youth
Dare serenaded lawmakers with anti-Arroyo jingles at the lobby of the House
session hall.
"We have no problem going to Congress everyday if it would mean getting more
signatures for the impeachment complaint. Our lawmakers should expect more youth
and students knocking on their doors in the coming days," he said. Bulatlat