Malacañang desperate to cover up its corruption - Bayan

MEDIA RELEASE

August 21, 2009

Davao City - Palace mouthpieces are now doing anything to bail out the rottenness of the US- Arroyo regime by pretending to be transparent in the eyes of the people on the matters of expenses of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo during her trips outside the country but such act will not work according to Bayan- Southern Mindanao spokesperson John Birondo.

“Presenting the huge expenses of Gloria Arroyo’s foreign trips amounting to P2.7 Billion to the public is an obligation of the Arroyo administration and their brand of “transparency” certainly won’t work in saving the corrupt Arroyo administration from the angry people,” Birondo said.

Palace spokesperson Cerge Remonde has been conducting briefings showing the so-called benefits from the foreign trips conducted by Mrs. Arroyo since 2001. A Commission on Audit report has shown that the president has overshot her own budget for foreign travel for the past eight years by as much as P1 billion. Malacanang has sought to justify this by pointing out the benefits in terms of investments and other foreign aid.

Bayan lambasted Malacañang’s claim that the country benefits from the foreign trips of the Arroyo government like foreign investments and military aid. “The benefits of the trips abroad that Malacañang claims are not for the people. It is for the bolstering of the puppetry of this regime to the dictates of its imperialist master – the US,” Birondo said.

“We cannot even feel that there are benefits because the people are still hungry. Health Secretary Francisco Duque even admitted this during his recent visit here in Davao saying that the hunger incidence in the country particularly here in Mindanao has increased from first and second quarter of this year. There are no jobs for the workforce and the farmers remain landless,” Birondo said.

“The Filipino people will not buy the false justifications and diversions of the Arroyo regime. The crookedness of this regime will be faced with collective efforts and actions of the people that will sooner lead to the ouster of this corrupt and isolated regime,” Birondo said.

Bayan criticizes additional P5 B to feeding program, says Arroyo only tries to appease People’s anger

MEDIA RELEASE

August 18, 2009

Davao City – Amidst the increases on the prices of basic commodities like rice and oil, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan slammed anew the move of the Arroyo administration’s additional budget for its palliative poverty reduction strategy “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program”.

“This is a just desperate attempt of the Arroyo regime to save its image after criticisms over the very luxurious meals it had at Le Cirque, New York and in Bobby Van’s Steak House which amounted to more than a million pesos easily spent,” according to Bayan spokesperson John Birondo.

“The additional P5 billion budget is like a candy given to the Filipino people hoping that this could be Arroyo’s way out of people’s anger. Is she trying to fool us? Mrs. Arroyo has the same pattern of actions every time she is confronted with issues and anomalies,” Birondo said.

“The program itself is palliative. It does not address the root cause of poverty which is landlessness. This administration is treating us like beggars when in fact the money it spends for the program is the people’s money,” he said.

“The isolated Arroyo administration is doomed to fail in its attempt to stop the people’s wrath. The Filipinos are already aware that under the present regime prioritization of the demands of the people is impossible.”

“What the people really wanted is for Gloria Arroyo to be ousted and for her to face the cases of anomalies, corruption and murder that she has committed against us,” Birondo said.

Bayan urges people to continue Cory’s fight vs. Cha-Cha

PRESS RELEASE
AUGUST 7, 2009

Davao City- Bayan urged here today the Filipino people to continue the fight waged by former President Corazon Aquino against charter change saying “Cory’s legacy should continue to unite us all for our constitution and aspirations for genuine freedom and democracy.”

“Former president Aquino was among the ordinary Filipinos who, from the very start, had vigilantly fought against the attempt of the Arroyo administration to amend the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Cory lived her life for us to realize the significance of democracy as she wanted the nation to be truly free,” Bayan-SMR spokesperson John Birondo said.

“Cory wanted us to take a stand against corruption and immoralities in the government. Her courage and strength that helped unite the Filipino people against the fascist Marcos regime should remind us of the need to be brave and relentless in the fight against Gloria Arroyo’s fascism, corruption, deceits, and other immoralities,” Birondo added.

“The Filipino people made a good start in opposing Gloria Arroyo’s charter change. Our task now is to be more active in ensuring that Gloria Arroyo and her cabals in the House of Congress will be completely denied of their sinister plan to pursue charter change,” Birondo said.