Bayan defends picket in front of Boy Nograles’ House

PRESS RELEASE

June 14, 2009

Davao City – In reaction to the editorial of a local newspaper dated June 13, Bayan defended the protest rally it staged outside the residence of House Speaker Prospero Nograles saying “ the rally was not meant to disrespect the latter’s family.”

Bayan quoted the editorial saying "no matter what one says about the rightness of the protesters' cause, their behavior in front of Mrs. Nograles, who is not a government official in the first place was completely unacceptable and unnecessary."

“What was not shown in the footages was the accommodation given to Mrs. Nograles by the protesters when she went out of her way and wanted to speak during the rally. There was no agreement that Mrs. Nograles will speak during the rally as what was mentioned in the editorial,” Bayan-SMR spokesperson John Birondo said.

“We object to how the editorial has challenged our struggles for genuine democracy. The spontaneous reaction of the people to bring the protest against charter change right to the very doors of Prospero Nograles’ house was an expression of the people’s anger and mounting discontent to all his betrayals,”Birondo added.

“What was not shown in the footages was the accommodation given to Mrs. Nograles by the protesters when she went out of her way and wanted to speak during the rally. There was no agreement that MRs. Nograles will speak during the rally as what was mentioned in the editorial,” Birondo stressed.

“Without pause and question, Nograles makes use of himself as Gloria Arroyo’s conspirator in railroading charter change amidst the fact that the Filipino people, especially his fellow Dabawenyos are strongly opposed to it,” Birondo said.

Bayan noted that Nograles gave the biggest share in passing House Resolution 1109. He, among the allies of Gloria Arroyo in the Lower House, was decisive and most influential to gather the approval of majority of the congressmen for HR 1109. In some incidents, he initiated cunning strategies of gathering the signatures of some congressmen to complete the needed number of votes for the passage of the said resolution.

“There are more to enumerate why Nograles should be scorned by the people. He was a culprit to many corruption cases like the fertilizer fund scam and was part of the efforts that killed the impeachment complaints against Gloria Arroyo,” Birondo stressed.

“He was among those who defended the First Gentleman, Gloria Arroyo, and the first family during the exposition of the NBN-ZTE Deal Scandal which offshoot was his seat as Speaker of the House,” Birondo added.

Bayan said that “like the millions of Filipino families exploited and betrayed by Prospero Nograles, his family is also a victim of his wickedness.”

“Mrs. Nograles explanation was unnecessary during the rally as she was expected to defend her husband. Besides, they have all the resources and influence to air their own side of the story - a right they are free to assert,” Birondo said.

“If the House Speaker felt his privacy was disrespected, it was not enough to make him pay for his disrespect to the people’s will and dignity. He has no right to cry foul when he himself is causing unbearable damages to the lives of millions of Filipino people,” Birondo stressed.

“Freedom and democracy comes when you fight for it. And in the struggle for genuine freedom and democracy, it is inevitable that the people’s enemy will suffer humiliation and defeat. If indeed Mrs. Nograles speaks from the heart when she uttered she is a Filipino, she should take a stand against his husband’s will and fight for the rights and welfare of her fellow Filipino people,” Birondo said.

Bayan says Nograles will be remembered as traitor to nation

PRESS RELEASE

June 12, 2009

Davao City – Bayan commemorated the 111 years of Philippine Independence denouncing the highest form of treachery committed by House Speaker Prospero “Boy” Nograles and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo against the nation and the Filipino people saying “the Filipino people of today and the future generations will recall Nograles as among the traitors who vended our country for his personal benefits and perpetuation of his political interests. Nograles should remember that among the lives he is destroying is the life of his own family.”

“Nograles deserves all the humiliations he is getting now for initiating charter change and for representing Arroyo’s political interests and foreign dictates over the Filipino people’s rights and welfare,” Bayan-SMR spokesperson John Birondo said.

Nograles led the passage of House Resolution 1109 seeking congress to convene to initiate charter amendments even without the participation of the Senate. He is also the author of House Resolution 737 which lifts restrictions to foreign ownership of land and corporations.

“We will not stop airing our dissents in any form and place we can slap to Nograles’ face his mistakes. Not until he steps up and starts himself the move to junk Cha-cha, he will forever be haunted by the people’s mockery and his own conscience,” Birondo added.

“What he’s doing is a clear sellout of our national sovereignty and patrimony. He said he wants the people to respect his privacy but we tell him he should respect the dignity of the Filipino people,” Birondo said.

In yesterday’s picket rally, members of the progressive groups stormed the house of Nograles in Davao City. “The protest yesterday manifested the people’s wrath over his treachery to the nation. We warn Nograles that the people will never be tired of protesting against his being the staunchest lapdog of Gloria Arroyo,” Birondo said.

Bayan’s protest vs. Cha-cha hits Arroyo-Nograles conspiracy, lauds city council’s anti Cha-cha stand

PRESS RELEASE

June 10, 2009

Davao City – Bayan’s nationwide protest action against charter change moved hundreds of protesters in Southern Mindanao Region as a start-off of bigger mobilizations in the coming days to renounce Arroyo-Nograles’ conspiracy against the Filipino people.

“The conspiracy of Gloria Arroyo and her staunchest lapdog Prospero “Boy” Nograles, being the main operators of Cha-cha’s railroading, will earn both of them not only the people’s ire but the denigration of our today’s and future generations,” Bayan-SMR spokesperson John Birondo exclaimed.

“History will remember Gloria Arroyo and Boy Nograles as among the traitors who disdained the Philippine constitution and the dignity of the Filipino people. Their objectives of amending the constitution at this time when their political influences are dwindling utterly bare their subservience to foreign dictates and their greed for money and power,” Birondo said.

“We denounce their arrogance and insults to the people whom they treat like idiots. Gone are the days when dirty politics can deceive Filipinos from all walks of life. They can continue ignoring the people’s clamor against Charter Change and against them but they can never escape the people’s final judgment,” Birondo warned.

Bayan will also form part of a broader mobilization led by PEOPLE’S MARCH-Davao and other people’s organizations as continuation to today’s anti Cha-cha protest movement.

“We commend the members of the city council of Davao for taking a strong stand against cha cha. People from the church and other religious groups, academe, health professionals, youth and students, and business sector in Davao have also taken a strong opposition against Cha-cha,” Birondo said.

“This only shows the readiness of the people to unite and set aside personal differences for the cause of the country. This mounting strength of the people will surely give Gloria Arroyo, Prospero Nograles and their political allies the defeat they rightfully deserve,” Birondo added. #

BAYAN calls on Davaoeños to take the streets, show outrage vs Chacha

PRESS RELEASE

June 8, 2009

Davao City – The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan today called on to civil society groups, opposition groups and other organizations in the region to show their outrage thru varying forms of protest actions over the “arrogance and deception” of members of the Lower House allied with Malacañang.

“Let us commit ourselves to show these so-called public officials especially Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her lapdog Speaker Prospero Nograles that we are not to be fooled by their deception and that we will not let their arrogance be disregarded,”

“Let us take note the names of those representatives from our districts who have voted for HR1109. They have to pay for their disloyalty to our democracy and sovereignty,” Birondo said, adding that these officials should be blacklisted by their constituents.

“Here in the city we can protest everyday in front of the office of Nograles. We have to show him that he is a humiliation in our city,” he said.

“We will never allow their malicious acts to go unnoticed,we have two days to go to prepare for a massive protest action nationwide. Here in the city we could do our part by taking the streets together with our church leaders, teachers, and barangay officials from today until Wednesday and even until Arroyo’s last State of the Nation Address next month,” Birondo said.

Bayan is set to join with other groups like the People’s Movement Against Charter Change for the nationwide protest action against Chacha.

Bayan slams passage of HR 1109, intensifies anti cha-cha movements

PRESS RELEASE

June 3, 2009

Davao City – Bayan and other people’s organizations slammed here today in a protest rally in front of congressman Nograles’ office the passage of HR 1109 saying “Gloria Arroyo and her political allies in the lower house headed by Cong. Nograles are making their biggest crime against the Filipino people with their attempts to fulfill charter change.”

“There is nothing more obvious than the actions made by Malacanang, through its allied congressmen, to cart off the barriers to cha-cha’s realization. The passage of HR 1109 speaks for their intentions to railroad charter change before the 2010 national elections and maintain Gloria Arroyo’s top post as prime minister,” Bayan-SMR John Birondo said.

“Malacanang’s pronouncement that it will push through with the 2010 elections is no difference to the lies it said with the ‘Hello Garci Scandal’, ‘NBN-ZTE Deal Scandal’, and the rests of the controversies involving Gloria Arroyo, her administration, and the first family,” Birondo added.

“For our lawmakers to break the laws themselves, pursue something unconstitutional, and act against the people’s will is clear arrogance. They don’t deserve to be respected and be regarded as the people’s representatives,” Birondo said.

“What the people urgently need amidst the worsening global financial crisis are resolutions from the Arroyo government that will ensure jobs for the workers, lands for the farmers, quality and accessible education for the youths, food and shelter for the urban poor, and free health services for everyone,” Birondo stressed.

Bayan also urged the public to be more vigilant and to actively participate in the movements against charter change.

“We will not stop from opposing charter change until it is fully defeated. We will be doing series of protest actions nationwide starting this week and the coming days,” Birondo said.