Solidarity
Movement Storms EDSA; Will Form Transition Council
Solidarity Movement, a broad alliance of forces moving for the
ouster of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and for the formation of a
Transition Council occupied the historic People Power monument Sept. 7 to
signal a series of protests after the impeachment process was buried in
Congress the day before.
By Dabet
Castañeda
Bulatlat
SECOND DAY: Part of
the 5,000 or so oust-Arroyo protesters (right photo) show their thumbs
down in a show of outrage over the 'killing' of the impeachment, as
leaders of the broad alliance (left) stand in a moment of silence during
the interfaith prayer before the start of rally at the People Power
Monument on Sept. 7.
Photos by Aubrey Makilan
Various forces and
sectors took no time in mourning the death of the impeachment case against
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Instead, they have joined together to
use anew the parliament of the streets to remove the president from
Malacañang.
The formation of
Solidarity Movement, a broad alliance of anti-GMA forces, was announced to
the public Sept. 7 as it led about 5,000 protesters to the People
Power Monument on Edsa. (Other
estimates put the figure at 10,000.) The rally was also co-organized by
the Bukluran para sa Katotohanan.
Some of them
rain-soaked after a heavy downpour at the start of the protest,
representatives of the organizations spearheading the alliance were
presented to the crowd. They included former Defense Secretary Renato de
Villa of Reporma Party, Satur Ocampo representing the multi-sectoral group
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) and Bayan Muna Party, Horacio “Boy”
Morales of Partido ng Masang Pilipino, Loiue Sison of Bangon Pilipinas and
Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay of the United Opposition (UNO).
They said the new
broad alliance is united behind the ouster of Macapagal-Arroyo and the
formation of a Transition Council immediately after the president is
removed from office. Representatives of groups forming Solidarity Movement
will elect members of the caretaker government.
Congress on the streets
Equally soaked in the
rain were House representatives who spearheaded the impeachment case in
Congress. Aside from Ocampo, progressive party-list representatives Teddy
Casiño and Joel Virador of Bayan Muna, Rafael Mariano and Crispin Beltran
of Anakpawis and Liza Maza of Gabriela Women’s Party were among the
earliest to join the protesters.
“The allegations of
cheating, lying and stealing manifested in the amended impeachment
complaint are now made worse with suspicions of pay-offs in Congress to
ensure the death of the impeachment,” said Maza.
The lady legislator
said the maneuverings that sought to hide the truth and protect Macapagal-Arroyo
unmasked a government that refuses to be accountable to the people.
Other pro-impeachment
congressmen joined the Edsa protest to dramatize their dismay over the
death of the impeachment. Minority Floor Leader and UNO secretary general
Chiz Escudero (first district, Sorsogon), Rep. Ronnie Zamora (lone
district, San Juan) and Rep. Allan Peter Cayetano (lone district,
Taguig-Pateros) came at around 5 p.m. just as the rain was about to fall.
Wearing a white
raincoat and sitting atop the sound system, Escudero was interviewed by
reporters as he waited for his turn to address the crowd. “Nakikilahok
kami para ipahayag ang aming galit at para maibsan ang sikip ng aming
dibdib” (We’re joining the rally to express our disgust and ease our
outrage), he said.
The young opposition
leader said he was leaving the protest to attend to other invitations but
will come back if the crowd would keep vigil. “Kapag nandito pa sila
babalik ako. Palagi kaming kaisa ng mamamayan kaugnay ng pagsusuka sa
desisyon ng Kongreso at hindi namin sila iiwanan sa ganitong uri ng
pakikibaka” (We’ll be back if the protesters stay. We’re always one
with the people in condemning [the junking of the impeachment complaint]
and we will not give them [administration] peace in this struggle), he
said.
Cayetano, the
spokesperson of the pro-impeachment team in Congress, also vowed to join
peaceful protest actions “na walang alisan” (till the end).
“Gusto sana namin
ay sa ligal na proseso dumaan pero sinarhan na ito ng gobyerno” (We
tried the legal process but the doors were shut by government), he said.
But he was quick to
add that the parliament of the streets was not in any way
unconstitutional. “Sumusunod lamang kami sa kalooban ng mamamayan”
(We’re just following the people’s wish), he said.
Supreme Court
Zamora, while saying
that the protest actions are a legitimate right of the people in their
quest for truth, also said that he and some of the lawyers from the
impeachment prosecution team will file a petition to reopen the case
before the Supreme Court (SC) on Sept. 8.
“We want the SC to
review the action of the House Committee on Justice,” he said. “We are not
doing this because we think we have a good chance to win or not but
certain issues have to be resolved.”
Anti-Arroyo
protesters are expected to go back to the streets on Sept. 12 and 13 for a
transport strike while the Solidarity Movement will again lead a
mobilization on Sept. 21, the 23rd anniversary of the
declaration of Martial Law. Bulatlat
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