Hundreds dismayed as Arroyo fails to show up in LA
LOS ANGELES — Hundreds of Filipino-Americans coming from as far as San Diego and the state of Arizona were here to see Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Friday night, only to be dismayed when told that she was not coming.
On her way to Peru for the 16th Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, President Arroyo was to make a brief stopover in Los Angeles to address a reception of the Filipino-American community at Sheraton Gateway Hotel.
However, she failed to make it after her plane made an unscheduled stop in Osaka, Japan when First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo fell ill.
Philippine Ambassador Willy Gaa, speaking on the President’s behalf, said Mrs. Arroyo regrets not being able to visit Los Angeles.
He said that the Philippines honors the contributions of the Filipino-Americans. Gaa then urged the community to continue to support the campaign for the Filipino WWII Veterans who need recognition and pension.
Likewise, he congratulated those who successfully organized the event.
Protesters
Among those who regretted President Arroyo’s failure to show up were activists led by the Gabriela Network, Bayan-USA, ILPS, Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP), and Answer-LA, who staged a picket rally outside the hotel to demand a stop to the political killings in the Philippines.
An effigy of Arroyo was displayed, waiting to be burned, and pictures of those who have disappeared were shown, among them Jonas Burgos, son of the late Malaya publisher Jose Burgos Jr., who has never been found after being allegedly abducted by military agents.
The protesters wanted to tell Mrs. Arroyo to forget about her trips to the United States and instead prevent the assassination of community leaders, students and workers who dissent the sociopolitical conditions in the Philippines.
“She should concentrate on providing jobs for the women and men who continue to leave the country and become victims of menial labor or suffer abuses in foreign countries," said Jollene Levid, secretary-general of Gabnet.
Lovid pointed out that 93 women have been killed in the Philippines. She said further that Gabnet is in the frontline of the protest to bring attention to the many problems of women in the Philippines, among them the millions of Filipinas who are domestic workers because of extreme poverty and thousands of them funneled into sex trade.
Interim Gabnet chairperson Anna Lisa Enrile said, “The frenetic kowtowing of Arroyo to the US government, with her trips abroad, derail the efforts of the community to have the US government address issues of social justice for the Fil-Am community and the participation of the US military in Mindanao through the Visiting Forces Agreement. The truth is Arroyo should stop using the people’s money in traveling abroad and solve the economic problems of the Philippines and the political killings."
According to the Manila-based human rights group Karapatan, more than 221 people have killed by military security forces since Mrs. Arroyo assumed power in 2001
Karapatan said 43 people had been victims of "summary executions or arbitrary killings" in the first nine months of the year. It said among the most recent killings was a labor activist, Maximo Aranda, who was gunned down in July by three unidentified armed men in Compostela Valley in the southern Philippines. In August another activist, Roel Doratot, was also shot dead also in the south. Both men belonged to groups that have been highly critical of the military and the Arroyo administration.
Tough task for envoy
When asked about the political killings in the Philippines, Ambassador Gaa explained that such crimes were not being promoted by the government. He said that military officers who have been accused of involvement in possible political killings are not promoted.
“We have also increased the number of investigators and prosecutors who handle political killings so that the cases can be solved quickly. Modern equipment for investigation has also been procured by the Philippine government to help in the prosecution and gathering of evidence to solve the killings," Gaa said.
On the possibility of President Arroyo extending her term, Gaa emphasized that the Office of the President has declared that Mrs. Arroyo will step down from her office in 2010.
Consul General Mary Jo Aragon added that the budgets of the government institutions in charge of investigating the political killings have been increased so that they can resolve the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines. Aragon pointed out that the cases have to go through a process.
“Those accused of being responsible for the political killings must also be able to defend themselves and that proper investigations must be conducted," Aragon stressed.
Those who attended the event took the opportunity to have their photos taken with Ambassador Gaa and Consul General Aragon. - GMANews.TV
On her way to Peru for the 16th Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, President Arroyo was to make a brief stopover in Los Angeles to address a reception of the Filipino-American community at Sheraton Gateway Hotel.
However, she failed to make it after her plane made an unscheduled stop in Osaka, Japan when First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo fell ill.
Philippine Ambassador Willy Gaa, speaking on the President’s behalf, said Mrs. Arroyo regrets not being able to visit Los Angeles.
He said that the Philippines honors the contributions of the Filipino-Americans. Gaa then urged the community to continue to support the campaign for the Filipino WWII Veterans who need recognition and pension.
Likewise, he congratulated those who successfully organized the event.
Protesters
Among those who regretted President Arroyo’s failure to show up were activists led by the Gabriela Network, Bayan-USA, ILPS, Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP), and Answer-LA, who staged a picket rally outside the hotel to demand a stop to the political killings in the Philippines.
An effigy of Arroyo was displayed, waiting to be burned, and pictures of those who have disappeared were shown, among them Jonas Burgos, son of the late Malaya publisher Jose Burgos Jr., who has never been found after being allegedly abducted by military agents.
The protesters wanted to tell Mrs. Arroyo to forget about her trips to the United States and instead prevent the assassination of community leaders, students and workers who dissent the sociopolitical conditions in the Philippines.
“She should concentrate on providing jobs for the women and men who continue to leave the country and become victims of menial labor or suffer abuses in foreign countries," said Jollene Levid, secretary-general of Gabnet.
Lovid pointed out that 93 women have been killed in the Philippines. She said further that Gabnet is in the frontline of the protest to bring attention to the many problems of women in the Philippines, among them the millions of Filipinas who are domestic workers because of extreme poverty and thousands of them funneled into sex trade.
Interim Gabnet chairperson Anna Lisa Enrile said, “The frenetic kowtowing of Arroyo to the US government, with her trips abroad, derail the efforts of the community to have the US government address issues of social justice for the Fil-Am community and the participation of the US military in Mindanao through the Visiting Forces Agreement. The truth is Arroyo should stop using the people’s money in traveling abroad and solve the economic problems of the Philippines and the political killings."
According to the Manila-based human rights group Karapatan, more than 221 people have killed by military security forces since Mrs. Arroyo assumed power in 2001
Karapatan said 43 people had been victims of "summary executions or arbitrary killings" in the first nine months of the year. It said among the most recent killings was a labor activist, Maximo Aranda, who was gunned down in July by three unidentified armed men in Compostela Valley in the southern Philippines. In August another activist, Roel Doratot, was also shot dead also in the south. Both men belonged to groups that have been highly critical of the military and the Arroyo administration.
Tough task for envoy
When asked about the political killings in the Philippines, Ambassador Gaa explained that such crimes were not being promoted by the government. He said that military officers who have been accused of involvement in possible political killings are not promoted.
“We have also increased the number of investigators and prosecutors who handle political killings so that the cases can be solved quickly. Modern equipment for investigation has also been procured by the Philippine government to help in the prosecution and gathering of evidence to solve the killings," Gaa said.
On the possibility of President Arroyo extending her term, Gaa emphasized that the Office of the President has declared that Mrs. Arroyo will step down from her office in 2010.
Consul General Mary Jo Aragon added that the budgets of the government institutions in charge of investigating the political killings have been increased so that they can resolve the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines. Aragon pointed out that the cases have to go through a process.
“Those accused of being responsible for the political killings must also be able to defend themselves and that proper investigations must be conducted," Aragon stressed.
Those who attended the event took the opportunity to have their photos taken with Ambassador Gaa and Consul General Aragon. - GMANews.TV
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