Pinoys in Canada join opposition to ‘conass’
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino militants in Canada have joined protests against the House of Representatives' passage of a resolution to amend the Philippine Constitution via constituent assembly.
Jonathan Canchela, chairman of Filipino Migrant Workers' Movement, called on Filipinos in other parts of the globe to march in the streets and protest this kind of oppression.
“Let the people’s voice be heard in the halls of Congress and in the parliament of the streets. We will not tolerate this arrogance of power and the political self-interest of the Arroyo regime," he said in an article on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines website (www.cbcpnews.com).
The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Canada chapter called the “Aye!" vote by lawmakers a show of arrogance by those who are in the seat of power.
"The passage of HR 1109 is but a show of force by the majority in the House of Representatives. The House cannot convene itself as a Constituent Assembly without the Senate’s approval of the same resolution. As noted by Fr. Joaquin Bernas, an expert on Constitutional matters, the House of Representatives ‘cannot exclude the Senate’ in voting for such a measure to change the Constitution simply because Congress is [composed of both] the House and the Senate," Bayan Toronto spokesman Diwa Marcelino said.
Marcelino said HR 1109 spells out another dark era in Philippine politics and society, similar to Marcos's martial rule in 1972.
Bayan Canada Secretary-General Joey Calugay added the Arroyo regime is becoming more desperate as the elections draw near.
“As Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Arroyo is well aware that the military and state agents are widely known to have committed numerous crimes against the people; surely she must also know that her family's involvement in one of the worst cases of graft and corruption since the Marcos dictatorship will land her in hot water when she steps down from office. Arroyo will do everything to stay in power, including bribing members of Congress to pass HR 1109 and making sure her cronies toe the line," Calugay said.
He added that with the Constituent Assembly, the Arroyo administration aims to strip the Constitution of its provisions that uphold national sovereignty and protect national patrimony.
This will lay bare the economy to continued exploitation and plunder by foreign corporate greed, thereby intensifying the present economic crisis, he said.
Also, he said this will set the stage for the unbridled entry of US troops, now numbering some 40,000 US soldiers scattered in 25 provinces since the Visiting Forces Agreement took effect in 1999, into the country and the establishment of permanent US military bases on Philippine soil.
Bayan Canada also called on all its allied organizations to continue to monitor the developments on charter change and to organize protest actions in the coming days. - GMANews.TV
Jonathan Canchela, chairman of Filipino Migrant Workers' Movement, called on Filipinos in other parts of the globe to march in the streets and protest this kind of oppression.
“Let the people’s voice be heard in the halls of Congress and in the parliament of the streets. We will not tolerate this arrogance of power and the political self-interest of the Arroyo regime," he said in an article on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines website (www.cbcpnews.com).
The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Canada chapter called the “Aye!" vote by lawmakers a show of arrogance by those who are in the seat of power.
"The passage of HR 1109 is but a show of force by the majority in the House of Representatives. The House cannot convene itself as a Constituent Assembly without the Senate’s approval of the same resolution. As noted by Fr. Joaquin Bernas, an expert on Constitutional matters, the House of Representatives ‘cannot exclude the Senate’ in voting for such a measure to change the Constitution simply because Congress is [composed of both] the House and the Senate," Bayan Toronto spokesman Diwa Marcelino said.
Marcelino said HR 1109 spells out another dark era in Philippine politics and society, similar to Marcos's martial rule in 1972.
Bayan Canada Secretary-General Joey Calugay added the Arroyo regime is becoming more desperate as the elections draw near.
“As Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Arroyo is well aware that the military and state agents are widely known to have committed numerous crimes against the people; surely she must also know that her family's involvement in one of the worst cases of graft and corruption since the Marcos dictatorship will land her in hot water when she steps down from office. Arroyo will do everything to stay in power, including bribing members of Congress to pass HR 1109 and making sure her cronies toe the line," Calugay said.
He added that with the Constituent Assembly, the Arroyo administration aims to strip the Constitution of its provisions that uphold national sovereignty and protect national patrimony.
This will lay bare the economy to continued exploitation and plunder by foreign corporate greed, thereby intensifying the present economic crisis, he said.
Also, he said this will set the stage for the unbridled entry of US troops, now numbering some 40,000 US soldiers scattered in 25 provinces since the Visiting Forces Agreement took effect in 1999, into the country and the establishment of permanent US military bases on Philippine soil.
Bayan Canada also called on all its allied organizations to continue to monitor the developments on charter change and to organize protest actions in the coming days. - GMANews.TV
Comments