July
28, 2014
Thousands join “SONA ng Bayan”
DAVAO CITY—The broad alliance of
progressive groups, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, heads 7,000 people in a
regionally-coordinated march rally to Rizal Park as BS Aquino delivers his 5th
State of the Nation Address today (July 28).
“Aquino already had four SONAs. But neither
of them talked about the true situation of Filipinos. Instead, these were
rhetoric of passing the blame to his predecessors who were also equally
corrupt.” said Sheena Duazo, secretary-general of BAYAN-Southern Mindanao
Region.
“Prices of rice and other basic goods rise
unstoppable far from our wages. Social services, especially health, are now
under privatization. Women and the people were deprived of sustainable living,
of a decent life,” Duazo added.
“The government shamelessly pushed
contractualization as the solution to the bloating number of jobless in the
country and this had caused the worsening condition of workers in terms of
wages and security of tenure all over the Philippines instead,” according to
Romualdo Basilio, spokesperson of Kilusang Mayo Uno-Southern Mindanao Region.
Also, Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap
(KADAMAY) spokesperson Benjie Badal expressed his rage over the P10B fund
intended by Aquino for the demolition of urban poor families .
Joining the protest rally are peasants from
North Cotabato, Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte and
Paquibato District.
The farmers and farm workers from Kilusang
Magbubukid ng Pilipinas are demanding to
hold BS Aquino accountable for the unresolved landlessness and the endless
killings of farmers and lumads in the countrysides.
“Seven out of ten farmers remained to be landless under CARP and its extension,
just because the government gives no attention to this problem and instead promote mendicancy Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps
and Conditional Cash Transfer.
Moreover,
Pedro Arnado, chairman of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas-Southern
Mindanao Region explained that the government’s Peace and Development Outreach
Program (PDOP) in the countryside
resulted to the murder of many peasant leaders who were shouting for
genuine land reform.”
Suara Bangsamoro spokesperson Jerome Aba
added, “National minorities experience the same struggle. Lumads were divested
from their ancestral lands because of greedy foreign mining and logging
companies and Moro people were deprived of their right to self-determination.
He stressed,“Until now,ARMM remains to be
the poorest region in the Philippines and there is a continuing discrimination
against Bangsamoro and violation of their rights despite several peace agreements.”
“The human rights situation is
deplorable”,according to KARAPATAN- SMR.
Oplan Bayanihan was intensified on its
second phase that caused 33 political killings in Southern Mindanao alone.
Highlighted cases were the murder of Barug Katawhan leader Cristina Jose in
Baganga; KASAKA treasurer Benjie Planos in Loreto; civilian Pedro Tinga, mining
activist Marcelo Monterona & small-scale miner Welmer Vargas in Maco.
Hanimay Suazo, secretary-general of
Karapatan-SMR said, “Undeniably, this is BS Aquino’s ‘tuwid na daan’ using his
killing machine Oplan to declare war against the Filipino people. Aquino is
nothing but a warmonger.”
She concluded, “So much for all the lies!
Aquino cannot deny his anti-people and anti-democratic character anymore. The
people are already sick of his cover-ups and schemes.” ###
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