Renato M. Reyes, Jr. BAYAN secretary general

The oil subsidy for the public jeeps and tricycles, while a product of peoples protests, is of course not enough to mitigate the impact of weekly oil price hikes. There are bigger benefits and more beneficiaries if the government scraps the 12% VAT on oil altogether.

This can result in a price reduction of P5-6.00/liter and the beneficiaries will not just be the drivers but also households, fisherfolk and many others. The P500 million government allotment for the subsidy is also small compared to the windfall revenues government is raking from the VAT on oil. Some estimates place this at P4 billion for the first quarter of 2011.

The subsidy also does not check the alleged overpricing committed by the oil companies. Bayan has estimated this to be P7.50 per liter. The subsidy also does not protect consumers from price speculation which has resulted in steep prices.

It’s just not right for government to be benefiting as it is from the misery of the people. This is how the VAT on oil operates. People suffer from high oil prices and government earns windfall revenues from overpriced petroleum products. It is for this reason that the VAT is oppressive and should be removed to provide immediate relief.

Overpricing and price speculation should also be addressed. To do this, the oil deregulation law should be scrapped.

Umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) today led a nationwide people’s protest against unabated oil price hikes and continued implementation of the Oil Deregulation Law as it accused oil companies and the government of earning P369.65 million everyday from overpriced petroleum products.

“High prices and grinding poverty have taken their worst toll on the Filipino people. The people are crying out of for economic reforms and immediate relief. The Aquino government meanwhile has taken silence and inaction to a whole new deplorable level. Even administration allies are calling for measures to stem oil prices but Aquino remains unmoved,” said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr.

“The protests today raise the people’s just demands for the price controls, the junking of the oil deregulation law and removal of the VAT on oil and power,” Reyes added.

Bayan claimed that oil firms led by the four biggest companies – Petron, Shell, Chevron, and Total – are raking in almost P325.29 million daily from the estimated overpricing of P7.50 per liter in oil products. The group based its overpricing estimates on the ideal impact on local pump prices of the monthly movement in Dubai crude price and foreign exchange rate from January 2008 to January 2011. The ideal impact is then compared to the actual adjustments in local pump prices as monitored by the Department of Energy (DOE) to determine the overpricing.

Of the P325.29 million, Petron accounts for P124.59 million; Shell, P91.41 million; Chevron, P40.66 million; Total, P14.31 million; and other oil players, P54.32 million. These amounts were based on the average daily consumption of almost 49.29 million liters per day and the corresponding market share of the oil companies.

During the rally, the groups held a moment of silence for the three OFW’s who were executed in China yesterday. Bayan expressed its condolences to their families and viewed the three Filipinos as victims themselves of poverty.

“With the way prices and joblessness are going up, is there any wonder why thousands of Filipinos are leaving the country to work abroad even at great risk to their personal safety? “Kapit sa patalim na ang mga Pilipino,” Reyes said.

Bayan also criticized the Aquino administration which Bayan said is also benefitting from the abuses of the oil firms through its collection of the 12 percent value-added tax (VAT) imposed on overpriced petroleum products. Bayan estimated that the VAT revenues arising from overpricing reach P44.36 million daily.

“It’s just not right for government to be benefiting as it is from the misery of the people. This is how the VAT on oil operates. People suffer from high oil prices and government earns windfall revenues from overpriced petroleum products. It is for this reason that the VAT is oppressive,” Reyes said.

The group warned that the recent P1-increase in the minimum fare of passenger buses as well as the P1-increase in the retail price of rice due to high fuel costs is just the start of more woes for the poor as the instability in the Middle East and North Africa is poised to intensify in the coming months further driving up oil prices.

“So long as the oil industry is deregulated and under the control of foreign monopolies, there will be no rest from oil price hikes and overpricing. The situation merits the nationalization of the oil industry, centralized procurement of oil products and the serious development of domestic sources of oil and energy,” he added.

The people’s protest was also organized by the Koalisyon ng mga Progresibong Manggagawa at Mamamayan (KPMM) and joined by a caravan of over 100 jeepneys of the militant transport group Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston). ###

The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan joined the Filipino people in mourning the deaths of three Overseas Filipino Workers in China after they were executed following convictions on drug trafficking.

“Bayan extends its deepest condolences to the families of the three OFW’s who were executed today in China. Regardless of what they were accused of, the deaths are the tragic result of poverty in the Philippines. This is a wake-up call, a grim reminder of the dire straits faced today by Filipinos here and abroad,” said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr.

“Economic desperation has forced tens of thousands of Filipinos to find work abroad, legally or illegally. They wittingly or unwittingly face dangers just so they could provide for their families. The lives of Sally Villanueva, Ramon Credo and Elizabeth Batain are symptomatic of the lives and experiences of many Filipinos abroad,” Reyes said.

Bayan said it believed the affidavit of Villanueva who says she was an unwitting victim of a drug trafficker who placed heroin in her suitcase.

According to the group Migrante, there are 125 Filipinos on death row in various prisons abroad. Many of them come from poor families and often do not have adequate legal assistance from Philippine authorities.

“What happened to our three kababayans should make the government rethink and abandon its labor-export policy. Government should work to provide long-term employment opportunities in the country so that Filipinos will not have to go abroad and be vulnerable to exploitation. Government should also exert more effort to protect OFW’s from drug traffickers and others who are out to exploit them,” Reyes said.

“Unless government changes its policy, Sally, Ramon and Elizabeth may not be the last. We raise concern over the 125 Filipinos on death row abroad. We raise concern over the hundreds more who are detained,” he added. ###

BAGONG ALYANSANG MAKABAYAN
Message on the 110th Birth Anniversary of Lorenzo Tañada:
BAYAN Founding Chair,
Grand Old Man of Philippine Politics
August 10, 2008
Bantayog ng mga Bayani, Quezon City

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) joins the Tañada family and freedom-fighters nationwide in celebrating Ka Tanny’s 110th birth anniversary.

We celebrate Ka Tanny’s life by sharing with the Filipino people, especially the youth, the legacy of Bayan’s founding chair, and our Grand Old Man of Philippine Politics.

Ka Tanny earned the distinction of being the longest-serving senator in Philippine history. From 1947, he served as a member of the Senate for 24 years. But more importantly, it was outside the halls of the Senate that he gained distinction as one of the greatest leading and uniting figures in the Parliament of the Streets.

Ka Tanny’s name became synonymous with freedom, justice and democracy as he stood at the forefront of the struggle against widespread poverty and inequality, corruption and tyranny, from the time when he founded the Movement for the Advancement of Nationalism (MAN) in 1966, up to the height of the anti-dictatorship struggle and even after the downfall of Marcos. Ka Tanny became one of the greatest enemies of the US-backed Marcos dictatorship. He also organized the Anti-Bases Coalition and other groups that rallied public opposition to the presence of US troops in the Philippines.

In 1983, after Senator Ninoy Aquino’s assassination, Ka Tanny became a leading personality of JAJA (Justice for Aquino, Justice for All). Earlier, he was also a leading figure in the formation of the People’s Movement for Independence, Nationalism and Democracy and the National Coalition for the Protection of Workers’ Rights.

When Ka Bert Olalia, Ka Crispin Beltran and other militant labor leaders were arrested, Ka Tanny was most vocal in condemning the brutal attacks on trade unions. He was the first ever politician allowed to speak before a big demonstration of the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU).

A year before the founding assembly of Bayan, he also led the formation of NAJFD (Nationalist Alliance for Justice, Freedom and Democracy). In 1985, Ka Tanny became Bayan’s founding Chairperson.

Ka Tanny attended meetings and preparations of Bayan for the huge rallies that were often met with fascist force. As he arrived in a wheelchair pushed by Bayan secretary general Lean Alejandro, he would always be welcomed with warm smiles and applause. Ka Tanny would listen intently to the planning sessions and then he would lean forward and comment on the formations and conduct of the mobilizations. With Ka Tanny at the front line, there was always a feeling of assurance among the rallyists that even though the rally could be dispersed, there would be a Ka Tanny who would raise his mighty voice against such state violence.

In spite of his advanced years, Ka Tanny is best remembered by Bayan as the distinguished parliamentarian who was at home in the streets.

Ka Tanny led Bayan Cental Luzon (CL) and Bayan national leaders and forces in the renowned Welgang Bayan against Marcos’ plan to build a nuclear plant in Bataan. Bayan and its allied organizations conducted several waves of campaigns to enlighten and rally the public against the nuclear plant. When Bayan CL decided to call for a welgang bayan, Ka Tanny went to Pampanga and there, despite being in his wheel chair, together with all the Bayan forces, positioned himself in the middle of the street to protest. That day, no vehicles could be seen plying the busy streets of Pampanga because everybody heeded the call for a massive strike.

Due to differences with other Bayan leaders regarding the 1986 snap presidential elections, Ka Tanny took a leave of absence from the alliance as he opted to participate in the elections. When Gen. Fidel Ramos and company made their move against the Marcos dictatorship, Ka Tanny immediately resumed his leadership in Bayan and started mobilizing forces for the EDSA 1 People Power uprising.

Ka Tanny, who had been undergoing kidney dialysis, finally rested in 1992 at the age of 93. It is well known that on the day of his dialysis, Ka Tanny chose to attend the September 16, 1991 Senate deliberations on the extension of the US-RP Military Bases Treaty. After the historic vote against the rejection of the treaty, Ka Tanny, stood up and shouted with all his might, “Mabuhay.”

Just a few years later, the Senate ratification of the US-RP Visiting Forces Agreement betrayed one of Ka Tanny’s greatest victories against US military interventionism in the Philippines. He certainly would have been at the forefront in opposing the VFA and all other unjust policies of whoever was the current US puppet.

Present-day politicians should emulate the brilliant example of Ka Tanny and his brand of nationalism and tireless engagement in the people’s anti-fascist and anti-imperialist struggle.

Under present conditions of ever worsening poverty and inequality brought about by a corrupt government that is subservient to US economic and geo-political interests, we celebrate Ka Tanny’s life by rallying Bayan and the Filipino people to continue his battles. Present-day activists, especially the youth, can gain inspiration from Ka Tanny who loved and served the people to his very last breath.

Today, we also remember another birthday celebrant, Ma. Luisa ‘Luing’ Posa Dominado, a human rights activist who shared the passion of Ka Tanny in standing up for freedom, justice and democracy. Ka Luing was imprisoned four times under the Marcos dictatorship. It has been one year and four months since the abduction of Ka Luing and peasant activist Ka Nilo Arado by three armed men in Iloilo on April 12, 2007.

Surely, Ka Tanny would have been with us in the Bayan-led rallies to demand justice for the hundreds of victims of extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances and all forms of human rights abuse under the Arroyo watch.

Ka Tanny is sorely missed. But his spirit remains alive, strong and unbending, in the multitude of patriotic and freedom-loving Filipinos today who continue to fight for genuine democracy, freedom and social justice.

Mabuhay ang dakilang alaala ni Ka Tanny!
Isulong ang pakikibaka para sa tunay na kalayaan, katarungan at pambansang demokrasya!
——————————————————————————————————————————————————

LONG LIVE THE GREAT LEGACY OF SENATOR LORENZO M.TAÑADA
By Prof. Jose Maria Sison
Chairperson, International Coordinating Committee
International League of Peoples’ Struggle
August 10, 2008

I am deeply pleased and highly honored to join the Tañada clan, friends, the various organizations and institutions and the broad masses of the people in celebrating the 110th birth anniversary of the great Filipino patriot Senator Lorenzo M. Tañada, champion of national independence and democracy, principled statesman, brilliant legislator, civil libertarian and fearless militant against oppression, be it by the Japanese fascist invaders or the homegrown fascist dictator Marcos.

I am proud to have personally known Senator Tañada since he delivered the keynote speech at the founding of Kabataang Makabayan on November 30, 1964. He exhorted us to emulate Andres Bonifacio and the Katipunan and to continue the unfinished Philippine revolution. I worked closely with him under his chairmanship of the committee that prepared the founding of the Movement for the Advancement of Nationalism (MAN) in 1966 and even more closely after the founding congress elected him as MAN chairman and myself as general secretary on February 8, 1967.

I am thankful for the inspiration, knowledge and experience that I gained from working with Senator Tañada in MAN under his leadership. He was a man of high intellect and deep conviction. He was always serious and meticulous in examining drafts and possible courses of action. I remember fondly the council meetings and the informal meetings where we would exchange views and he would often arrive ahead of everyone else at the effectively exact phrase in meaning and nuance to persuade people within the nationalist or anti‐imperialist context. He was always supportive of the mass actions to express protest and make demands against US imperialism and the servile government.

Senator Tañada’s resolute and militant struggle against the Marcos fascist dictatorship encouraged and strengthened me when I was underground and then when I was under military detention. Despite his advanced age, he engaged in street activism and braved the bullying and assaults of the armed personnel of the state.

Like everyone else in the national democratic movement, I admired his leadership in a series of alliances (especially BAYAN of which he was the founding chairman) and his active participation in indoor and outdoor rallies and other forms of activities for the purpose of seeking the end of the Marcos dictatorship. He delivered powerful messages to denounce the criminal acts of the regime and to inspire the people to resist.

It is of high and urgent importance to celebrate and seek guidance from the great legacy that Senator Tañada has bequeathed to us all. We need to refresh and revitalize ourselves with the principles that he enunciated so lucidly and so vigorously and with the actions that he undertook and made him an exemplary fighter for the national and democratic rights and interests of the people.

To this day the Tañada legacy is of vital significance and relevance to the struggle of the Filipino people for complete national independence, democracy, good governance, social justice, development and durable peace. We are confronted by a government that is shamelessly servile to US imperialism, extremely corrupt and exploitative and unrestrained in repressing the people and committing human rights violations.

Senator Tañada had a high standard of morality for both private life and public service. He espoused and practised the clean and honest service to the people which he required of all government officials. As senator, he first became well known as a crusader against graft and corruption. We are obliged by his teachings and example to fight uncompromisingly against a regime that has prolonged itself through electoral fraud and whose corruption knows no limits. The Arroyo regime has no moral and legitimate basis whatsoever.

Senator Tañada stood for the economic sovereignty of the people, the conservation of our national patrimony and the development of the country through national industrialization and land reform. We are required by his teachings and example to fight relentlessly against the US‐imposed policy of “free market” globalization. This is a tricky phrase for obscuring the reality of monopoly capitalism and favoring the US and other multinational firms and banks through the denationalization of our economy, liberalization, privatization and deregulation.

We must denounce the policy of keeping the Philippine economy, agrarian, semi‐feudal and preindustrial, producing only raw materials and semi‐manufactures for export and always borrowing heavily from abroad to cover trade deficits, to finance outward capital and profit remittances and to conjure the false illusion of economic growth. The dumping of surplus manufactures and agricultural products from abroad has ruined local production and has made the country a victim of manipulated shortages and price gouging by foreign monopolies.

The people are suffering terribly from the rising debt and tax burden, the rapid increase of unemployment, the plunging level of income, the soaring prices of fuel, food and other basic commodities and the rising fees for deteriorating basic social services. The Arroyo regime does not offer any kind of solution or even mere alleviation to the suffering people. It is now floundering due to the international credit crunch and lower orders for the kind of exports that the Philippine makes. It is obsessed with raising the tax burden in an economy that is already bankrupt and depressed.

Senator Tañada consistently and vigorously upheld, defended and promoted the national sovereignty of the Filipino people and the territorial integrity of the Philippines. He devoted himself to the struggle for the dismantling the US military bases in the Philippines. He was pleased when the 1987 constitution prohibited the basing of foreign military forces and the introduction of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction. He was elated when in September 1991 the Philippine Senate passed the resolution terminating the US‐RP Military Bases Agreement.

But the regimes succeeding the Aquino regime have sought to circumvent and reverse these victories of the people and patriotic leaders like Senator Tañada with a series of agreements allowing US military forces to enter and occupy any or all parts of the Philippines under various pretexts and to operate as they please even in violation of Philippine sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Arroyo regime has been the worst in treasonously increasing the pretexts for US military intervention and for  actually allowing the continuous and increasing presence of US military forces in the Philippines.

Under the guise of combating terrorism, the US policy of “global war on terror” has whipped up war hysteria and war production in the US, wars of aggression against Iraq and Afghanistan, repressive laws and state terrorism on a global scale. The Arroyo regime has followed the policy not only in abject subservience to its imperialist master but also in pursuit of its selfish interest in getting US blessings and some amount of military assistance and in using the military and police forces to keep it in power, to suppress the patriotic and progressive forces and intimidate the broad array of opposition forces and the broad masses of the people.

The gross and systematic violations of human rights have outraged the Filipino people and the people of the world and have fanned up the flames of the armed revolution for national liberation and democracy. All the vicious attempts of the US and Arroyo regime to destroy the revolutionary movement with the so‐called military solution, Oplan Bantay Laya I and II, have failed but have only succeeded in rousing revolutionary resistance and paralyzing the GRP‐NDFP peace negotiations.

We must overcome the impediments to the resumption of the peace negotiations. If we cannot resume the negotiations during the Arroyo regime, we must prepare for doing so after this regime. We must strive to achieve a just and lasting peace by addressing the roots of the armed conflict and agreeing on the social, economic and political reforms that must be undertaken.

It is possible to make comprehensive agreements on such reforms if both the GRP and the NDFP avail of and draw from the rich legacy of Senator Tañada those general principles that he enunciated and those concrete basic reforms that he proposed for making the Philippines truly independent, democratic, socially just, prosperous and peaceful.

May the wisdom of Senator Tañada continue to enlighten and inspire us. His teachings and his deeds are relevant to the understanding of our problems and to the solutions that we can undertake as a nation. Let us summon the memory of the great patriot Senator Tañada clenching his fist to defy the reign of greed and terror and signal the people to rise up and exercise their power against their adversary. Long live the great legacy of Senator Lorenzo M. Tañada! ###
—————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Apat na dekada sa buhay ni Ka Tanny
Public Information Department BAYAN
Ika-10 ng Agosto 1985
—————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Click Here for photos

Reference: Bernadette Ellorin, Chairperson, BAYAN USA, email:

BAYAN USA sends its deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the family of Leonard Weinglass, people’s lawyer, ardent human rights defender, and longtime supporter of the Filipino people’s ongoing struggle for freedom and democracy. Weinglass passed away yesterday in his sleep due to complications with pancreatic cancer. He was 77 years old.

His four-decades long track record in the struggle for justice speaks for itself– defending Mumia Abu-Jamal, The Cuban Five, Angela Davis, The Chicago Seven, Kathy Boudin of the Weather Underground, and even press freedom fighter Julian Assange.

A mainstay figure in the US Civil Rights Movement, Weinglass was also a well-known supporter and advocate for international justice struggles, having been the co-chair of the international committee of the National Lawyers Guild for many years.

As an international human rights lawyer, Weinglass was a well-respected ally and friend of the Filipino people. Having been a vocal opponent to the martial law of the Marcos dictatorship, Weinglass also participated in a fact-finding mission in 1987 with fellow attorney Ramsey Clark to investigate death squads under the first Aquino administration. The mission produced a significant report that conclusively identified the ongoing problem of state repression under the Aquino regime,and particularly the hand of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the Philippine military’s counter-insurgency campaign.

Shortly after the founding of BAYAN USA in 2005, Weinglass was among the US signatories endorsing the Second International Solidarity Mission (ISM) to the Philippines to investigate human rights abuses under the administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Weinglass also continuously opened the door to his New York City office to meet with several human rights activists, lawyers, and abuse survivors from the Philippines over the years as he remained concerned about the human rights situation in the country. In 2009, Weinglass joined the core group of the US-based Never Again to Martial Law (NAML) movement that was formed in response to the Arroyo government’s declaration of a state of martial law in Maguindanao following the Ampatuan Massacre in November 2009.

But it was Weinglass’ most recent support as co-counsel and adviser to Filipina-American abduction and torture survivor, and BAYAN USA member, Melissa Roxas for which BAYAN USA will forever be grateful for. In his final years, Weinglass spoke out publicly in defense of Roxas and met several times with BAYAN USA leaders in his Manhattan office to discuss the campaign to prosecute former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for gross human rights violations. Throughout his lifetime, Atty. Weinglass lent his endorsement as a renowned US political activist and international defender of human rights to the overall Filipino people’s struggle for genuine freedom and democracy.

Paalam Len, and thank you for your invaluable solidarity and friendship with the Filipino people. You will be sorely missed. May your selfless example as a people’s lawyer and activist inspire others to continue in the same path.

MABUHAY ANG DIWA NI LEONARD WEINGLASS!
LONG LIVE INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY!

The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan today reiterated calls for Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez to take a leave of absence as she goes on trial in the Senate for betrayal of public trust.

“Ombudsman Gutierrez faces six articles of impeachment which will be tried four days a week. The almost daily hearings alone should require the undivided attention of the Ombudsman. She also faces several serious charges. She will also be asked to appear before the Senate. It would be best if she takes a leave of absence to focus on the trial,” said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr, who is also an impeachment complainant.

“So far she has not entered any detailed and substantial answer to the allegations in the impeachment complaint. The so-called answer she submitted to the House Justice Committee was a general denial. She has her work cut out for her, even before the trial begins,” Reyes said.

Bayan acknowledged though that the law does not require Gutierrez, only the second official to face an impeachment trial, to take a leave of absence.

The trial will begin in May this year with the regular hearings starting 2pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and 3pm on Wednesdays.

“She is not required to take a leave but she should seriously consider it. We doubt she can focus on anything else other than her defense. Her job and office will be affected,” Reyes said.

Reyes called on Gutierrez to stop playing the victim and instead address the allegations against her.

“She claims she’s the victim of dark politics. The real victims of dark politics are the Filipino people who were denied justice and accountability during the regime of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Dark politics ruled everyday under GMA and Merci,” Reyes said.

Bayan’s impeachment complaint resulted in the first three articles of impeachment which are: the Ombudsman’s inaction on the fertilizer fund scam, inaction on the Euro generals scandal and the whitewash of the anomalous Mega Pacific deal.

Gutierrez is also being accused of bungling the NBN-ZTE case, inaction on the case of Navy Ensign Philip Pestano and having a low conviction rate. ###

The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan today voiced its strong opposition to the proposal granting a hero’s burial for the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. The proposal is contained in a resolution before the House of Representatives signed by 193 congressmen and authored by a former Marcos cabinet secretary.

Bayan chair Carol Araullo, who was also detained during Marcos’ martial law, said that the move insults the thousands of victims of the dictatorship who up to now have yet to get the justice they have long fought for.

“This proposal is unacceptable for the Marcos victims and the Filipino people. By allowing a hero’s burial for Marcos, the House will practically be rewriting history, erasing the atrocities committed by the
dictator. We will definitely oppose this,” Araullo said.

“How tragic that after the House of Representatives made history by voting to approve the impeachment of the Ombudsman, members of the House now want to rewrite history by giving Marcos a hero’s burial,” she added.

The Bayan chair said that Congress should be prioritizing the bill compensating the Marcos human rights victims rather than finding ways to honor the dictator.

“It would be a supreme irony if this measure gets through, especially under an Aquino government. The president should make clear his position on the matter. He should be among the first to oppose this measure,” Araullo said.

The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan today hailed the historic vote of the House of Representatives in impeaching Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez. With a vote of 212 to 46, the articles of impeachment will now be transmitted to the Senate for trial.

“We are one more step closer to impeaching the Ombudsman, and one more step closer to holding Gloria Macapagal Arroyo accountable. We are ever more determined to see this through to its logical conclusion in the Senate. We look forward to facing off with Merci in the Senate,” said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr.

Reyes was among the complainants of the second impeachment complaint filed last August 3, 2010. The complaint accuses the Ombudsman of inaction and refusal to file charges in the fertilizer fund scam and “euro generals” scandal and her whitewash of the Mega Pacific case involving Comelec officials.

These grounds are the first three issues in the Articles of Impeachment and are considered the strongest grounds for the Ombudsman’s impeachment.

“The fight only gets harder when it reaches the Senate. We will help the public prosecutors from the House of Representatives prepare the witnesses and evidence regarding the Ombudsman’s betrayal of public trust. In the Senate, we have more time to present evidence and witnesses, unlike in the committee hearings at the Lower House,” Reyes said.

“More details of Gloria’s scams and the Ombudsman’s inaction will surface,” he added.

Bayan noted that most congressmen who voted against the impeachment complaint were staunch allies of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

“The Arroyo block is not yet done. They will still oppose this when it reaches the Senate. The Arroyo’s know that their past abuses will come to fore in the impeachment trial. We have to be really prepared. It’s no walk in the park ,” Reyes said.

“Those pro-Arroyo lawmakers who voted against the impeachment should be ashamed though. They still can’t get over Gloria. They complain of the alleged withholding of the PDAF of anti-impeachment lawmakers, when in fact that was their practice when they were the majority in the House of Representatives. How ironic that they make a big fuss about it now,” Reyes said. ###

RETIRED NAVY CAPTAIN DANILO “KA DAN” VIZMANOS:
A MUCH BETTER HUMAN BEING THAN TODAY’S GENERALS
By Dr. Dante C. Simbulan, PMA Class 1952

(This is Retired Colonel Dante C. Simbulan’s eulogy during the Huling Parangal Para kay Ret. Navy Captain Danilo , Makati, 8PM, June 27, 2008. Dr. Simbulan served with the original units of the Philippine Scout Rangers organized by then Capt.Rafael Ileto during the anti‐Huk campaign. He served with the Corps of Professors and taught at the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City till his retirement in 1967. He has a Doctorate in Political Science at the Australian National University, and is the author of the book, THE MODERN PRINCIPALIA, THE HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF THE PHILIPPINE RULING OLIGARCHY published in 2005 by the U.P. Press)

During my last visit to Ka Dan three weeks ago, he was in intense pain, but I could see that he was very glad to see me. When I and my son, Roland bade goodbye, he handed me a CD of the “Parangal” recently held in Makati and a copy of his latest book, ” A Matter of Conviction”. On the first page he wrote: “To Ka Dante, my ‘classmate’ in Camp Crame (CSU‐Constabulary Security Unit), Fort Bonifacio and Bicutan.

Indeed, Ka Dan and I were both political prisoners, “classmates” in the prisons of the Marcos dictatorship. Like Ka Dan, I was arrested at about the same time and jailed for 2 1/2 years without charges.

I would have been honored to be his real classmate, to be his ‘mistah’ or my ‘cavalier’, but he went to Kings Point in New York (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy‐USMMA) and I went to PMA in Baguio, he graduating in 1950 (same year as Pres. Fidel V. Ramos graduated at West Point), and I, two years later in 1952 in Fort Del Pilar, Baguio.

Unlike many generals of the AFP and PNP today (who are mostly graduates of PMA), Ka Dan has observed the Code of Honor inculcated in us Peemayers for four years: that we must not cheat, lie , nor steal nor tolerate those who do among us. Though not a PMA graduate, he also lived the PMA ideals of “Courage, Integrity, and Loyalty”, the so‐called CIL embossed in our class rings. Indeed, he could have been one of the few among us who still believe AND PRACTICE these. He could have been, and I believe he will be, an excellent role model of both cadets and young officers of the AFP and PNP.

Many generals today have not only abandoned the honor system and the ideals of CIL, but have also flaunted their ill‐gotten wealth, living in mansions in Ayala‐Alabang, Corinthian Gardens, Valle Verde, Green Meadows and such high‐class and gated communities of the wealthy few, rubbing elbows with the high and mighty in our society. They have lied and cheated for their superiors – including their fake Commander‐in‐Chief ‐‐ in order to be promoted or to get coveted assignments. On the other hand, they have jailed and court‐martialed those PMA graduates who still follow the straight path, who still want to tell the truth no matter what is the consequence. In short, these generals today have become part of the problem ‐‐part and parcel of the corrupt ruling oligarchy!

In contast, Ka Dan Vizmanos refused to follow this pattern. He did not serve the dictator Marcos nor did he benefit from such service. Instead, he fought the dictatorship which trampled on the constitutional rights of citizens. He protested against the violation of human rights by the military and the police minions of Marcos.

But Ka Dan did not only protest but also showed enormous COURAGE in defying the dictator and his minions during Martial Law resulting in his incarceration; he demonstrated a strength of character, the HONESTY AND INTEGRITY to live within his means (even though, like the others, he had the opportunity to enrich himself while holding responsible positions in the AFP). Today, like Rep. Crispin ‘Ka Bel’ Beltran, he lived and died in the same old house with just the bare necessities that his meager income could afford. Ka Dan, like Ka Bel died a poor man. What a contrast to the lifestyle of the generals of the present dispensation!

Most important of all, Ka Dan Vizmanos showed his LOYALTY, not to the ruling elites and the corrupt system they represent, but he gave it wholeheartedly to the Filipino people, especially to the suffering and oppressed masses of our unjust society.

He was against the mendicant and beggarly attitude of both our civilian and militlary leaders to our erstwhile colonial master, the United States. He criticized the long‐standing dependency of the government and the military on the Americans. He ridiculed the junk, the ‘surplus’ equipment that the U.S. is giving us, to ‘modernize’ our armed forces. He caricatured the expressions of gratitude of our so-called leaders to the ‘generosity’ of the Americans for giving us 40‐year old helicopters!

He wanted our country and our armed forces to be self‐reliant and not be a tail of the U.S. kite. He wanted to see the Philippines attain real independence and exercise our sovereign rights as a respected member of the world community of nations. Last but not least, Ka Dan’s vision is to see our empowered people participate in government and not just the few political dynasties who lord it over us all in determining our future and in shaping our destiny.

I salute you, Ka Dan, and am truly proud to have known you.

Kami’y iyong iniwan, ngunit ang iyong diwa, adhikain at paninindigan ay hindi namin kakalimutan at aming ipagpapatuloy ang ating layunin hanggang hindi makamtan ang paglaya ng ating bayang minamahal.

Paalam, kaibigan at kasama. Tinitiyak kong darami sa ating mga kasundaluhan at opisyal ng military ang makakakita sa iyong maningning na halimbawa at darating ang araw na ang AFP ay magbabagong anyo. When that time comes, it will no longer be the protector and defender of a corrupt ruling system, but will be transformed into a true armed forces of the people, the protector of our people’s interest, a defender of our national independence and sovereignty, and the reliable guardian of a true and authentic democracy.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Before Trillanes was Vizmanos, the ‘original rebel soldier’
By DJ Yap, Philippine Daily Inquirer
—————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Taas‐kamaong pagpupugay kay Ka Dan Vizmanos
Ni Carol P. Araullo
Tagapangulo, Bagong ALyansang Makabayan
5 Mayo 2008, University of Makati

Sa ngalan ng lahat ng mga kaalyadong organisasyon ng Bagong Alyansang Makabayan sampu ng mga pang‐rehiyon/pamprobinsyang balangay nito at ng balangay sa Estados Unidos, sa ngalan ng lahat ng mga miyembro ng Pambansang Konseho at mga kagawad ng Pambansang Tanggapan, isang taaskamaong pagbati sa ating lubos na  pinagpipitagan at minamahal na Captain “Ka Dan” Vizmanos, dating tagapangulo ng Bayan, isang matatag na tagapagtanggol ng karapatang pantao at matalas na manunulat at tagapagsalita tungkol sa mga pundamental at mga nagbabagang isyung pambansa at pangmundo.

Nagpapasalamat kami kay Ka Dan at sa kaniyang pamilya sa mahigit na tatlong dekada ng mahusay, taus‐puso at walang patid na paglilingkod niya sa sambayanang Pilipino at sa kilusang pambansa demokratiko, sapul nang manindigan siya sa panig ng masang pinagsasamantalhan at inaapi at sumama sa pakikibaka para sa pambansang kalayaan at demokrasya.

Si Ka Dan ay ginawaran ng parangal ng Bayan kasama ng iba pang mga huwarang mga indibidwal na malaki ang naiambag sa progresibong kilusan, partikular sa Bayan bilang alyansa, noong nakaraang dalawang taon. Subalit, kasama ng Kodao at Selda, minabuti naming magtanghal ng isang payak ngunit makabuluhang pagpupugay para lamang sa kanya dahil nakita namin kung gaano kayaman sa mahahalagang karanasan at aral ang kanyang tinahak na landas mula Navy Captain sa Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas tungo sa pagiging makabayang manunulat at natatanging progresibong lider.

Umaasa kami na ang mga kabataan at iba pang mga kababayan natin, na ngayon lang siya makikilala, kasama na ang mga sundalo’t opisyal sa AFP at PNP na kasalukuyang disgustado o di mapakali sa nangyayaring lansakang katiwalian, paglabag sa karapatang pantao at pagiging sunod‐sunuran ng mga heneral sa mga iligal at kontra‐mamamayang mga utos ng ilehitimong gubyernong US‐Arroyo, ay makakapulot ng ilang ideya at aral sa ating pagpupugay. Hinihikayat namin ang lahat na bumili o
humiram at magbasa ng mga librong isinulat ni Ka Dan. Sinisiguro namin sa inyo na ang kanyang mga isinulat ay madaling maintindihan at magaan basahin bagamat hitik sa kaalaman, kasaysayan at malalim na pagsusuri.

Totoong kakaiba at kapuri‐puri na ang isang tulad niya na nanggaling sa tipikal na middle class family, may angking talino at nagkaroon ng pagkakataon na makapag‐aral sa labas ng bansa, maging opisyal ng AFP at patungo na sa higit na pag‐asenso hanggang sa umabot sa pamunuan nito, ay namulat – sa sarili niyang pagkukusang mag‐aral at sa kanyang pagiging matuwid na tao – sa totoong kalagayan ng lipunang Pilipino at kung ano ang ugat na mga problema nito.

Nang makita niya ang kontradiskyon sa pagitan ng mamamayan at ng AFP, at ng mga lokal na  reaksyonaryo hanggang sa mga dayuhang interes na kumakatawan sa imperyalismo, nanindigan siya sa panig ng sambayanan.

At mula nang pumanig na siya, naging matatag siya. Ito’y sa kabila ng matinding presyur mula sa mga nakatataas na opisyal ng AFP at maagang pagka‐unsyami ng kanyang military career, pagkatortyur at pagkakulong ng mahigit dalawang taon, patuloy na panggigipit sa panahon ng pasistang Diktadurang Marcos, mga kalituhan at malulubhang pagkakamali ng kilusan matapos mapabagsak ang diktadura at palitan ito ng mga rehimeng may posturang demokratiko at sa harap nang patuloy na mga hamon sa mahaba at mahirap na landas tungo sa ganap na pambansa at panlipunang pagpapalaya.

Tatag ng paninindigan at husay sa pagkilos. Kahit tumanda na, si Ka Dan ay di nagsabing magreretiro siya. Humingi lamang siya ng dispensa na bumaba na bilang miyembro ng Bayan National Council nang nagkasakit ang kanyang may‐bahay at kailangan niyang bigyan nang higit na oras at atensyon. Subalit nagpatuloy siya sa liderato ng SELDA at sa pagdalo sa mga pulong pag‐aaral at mga kilos protesta. Sa totoo, hanggang noong nakaraang taon, siya ay nagbigay ng napakahalagang testimonya tungkol sa Oplan Bantay Laya at buong programa mapanupil ng rehimeng US‐Arroyo para sa Permanent People’s
Tribunal, Second Session on the Philippines na ginanap sa The Hague, The Netherlands. Higit na panahon din ang ginugol niya sa pagsusulat at ang kanyang mga libro ay pamana na niya sa ating lahat, sa mga susunod na henerasyon ng mga makabayan at progresibong Pilipino.

Kaya samahan niyo po ako na magbigay ng standing ovation kay Ka Dan Vizmanos, dakilang lider ng Bayan at sambayanang Pilipino.

Mabuhay si Ka Dan Vizmanos!
——————————————————————————————————————————————————

PHOTOS
by: Bagong Alyangsang Makabayan

by: Aya Santos