Batasan 6

We Assert our Rights and Freedom!

2006-05-06T16:28:00.000+08:00

The following is the joint statement to the press issued by the Batasan 5 today, May 6, 2006. We are inviting everyone to join us in finally leaving the Batasan grounds on Monday morning, May 8.

We, the Batasan 5, have come to a decision. On Monday, May 8, we will leave, all five of us, the premises of the Batasan. We shall assert our freedom and our rights, both as legislators backed by the mandate of the people and as citizens, specifically against the political persecution of the Arroyo government.

In the same breath, we assert our innocence of the spurious charge of rebellion against us and some of our colleagues in the democratic mass movement. The serious charge is rendered so incredible and ridiculous by the sort of documentary evidence produced pell mell by the Philippine National Police and endorsed by the Department of Justice. In fact, Judge Jenny Lind R. Aldecoa-Delorino, in her resolution rejecting and striking out of the court records the amended information, comments that the “numerous enclosures to the original information”392 in all“ could hardly cover the width and breath of the detailed allegation raised.”

In brief, insufficient evidence!

Thus, as of this moment there is no case of rebellion against us filed in any court. Even if the DoJ will file a motion for reconsideration or a new information, as it publicly declared it would do, such charge cannot depart from the discredited heap of papers it had submitted to the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 137.

For more than two months, we have endured the situation wherein the House leadership and the Executive (through the DoJ-PNP ostensibly but, we suspect, through a sinister cabal higher up) cannot resolve the issue of which position must prevail. On the one hand, through HR 133, the House backed by the Senate through a similar resolution expressing the sense of Congress, the law-making body, aver we are not under arrest or detention but under protective custody, specifically, against illegal or warrantless arrest. On the other hand, the DoJ and the PNP, both implementing agencies of laws passed by Congress, claim we either have been arrested and are in detention or will be arrested once we step out of the premises of the Batasan. We have raised the issue for resolution at the Court of Appeals.

With the indulgence and hopefully the full support of our colleagues both in the House and the Senate, we shall uphold their collective position that we, the Batasan 5, are free to leave the Batasan premises and that Rep. Crispin Beltran must be freed.

The stand-off between the Executive and the Legislative over our case only exposes the highly undemocratic and anti-democratic tendency, if not the essential character of the Arroyo government. Under this government, we have to assert and bitterly fight for our rights and freedoms in order to exercise and enjoy them, no matter thator precisely becausethe assertion of our rights and freedoms are met by the government with deliberate repression and unrestrained violence.

We owe it to our people to assert these rights and freedoms that are inalienably theirs too. If the government applies brutal force, as it is wont to do, against our action on Monday, we will confront it with militant and dignified defiance.

By our action on Monday we will also give the DoJ and the PNP and, yes, Malacanang the chance to see the folly of their ways.

Conspiracy theory

2006-04-29T12:40:00.000+08:00

I’ve always been a fan of conspiracy theories. That’s why I love the X-Files – Scully and Mulder stumbling upon the ultimate conspiracy of all -- that aliens are already among us and invading the Earth by alterning our genetic material using bees. I’m also itching to borrow Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code from one of Joel Virador’s staff members who’s not through reading it yet.

Anyway, I’ve always loved conspiracy theories but never thought I’d be part of one until now.

Reading the DOJ’s resolution finding probable cause on our case and the amended information it filed secretely before the Makati Regional Trial Court last April 23, I thought, “Oh boy, our police and prosecutors could give Dan Brown and Robert Ludlum a run for their money.”

Imagine, I am charged as a principal respondent in crimes allegedly committed by the CPP-NPA when I was still three years old. THREE YEARS OLD! No kidding. I am now officially accused by the government of having conspired with Joma, Dante Buscayno, et. al. in a 1969 NPA ambush in Zambales, the 1971 Plaza Miranda bombing, Ka Roger’s military adventures in Masbate, the killing of Col. Rodolfo Aguinaldo and Fr. Balweg and a hodge-podge of other crimes unearthed from the moldy archives of the ISAFP. Topping it all off is the "Left-Right" coup plot against Pres. Arroyo in 2006. As the cliché goes, kulang na lang ibintang nila sa ‘kin at sa Batasan 6 ang pagpatay kay Jose Rizal at pagpako kay Kristo.

The government’s conspiracy theory goes like this: since our respective parties are “fronts” of the CPP-NPA-NDF, then we, as top leaders of our respective parties, should also be top leaders of the CPP (members of the elite Central Committee at that!). As CPP top honchos, then, we are now considered principal respondents in ALL crimes allegedly committed by the rebel movement IN THE LAST 37 YEARS of its existence. Boy, oh boy.

What’s really curious is that nowhere in the complaint are we ever mentioned to have taken part in, much more led, a popular armed uprising to overthrow a government, which is what a rebellion is. The “overt acts” directly attributed to us are “extra legal activities” like taking part in rallies and demonstrations (?!), attending meetings and other things we normally do as elected representatives in Congress.

As to the charge that we re-channeled government funds to the rebel movement, nowhere in the complaint does it say how much we re-channeled, when, where and how. Instead, there is a mere testimony by their scarf-clad star witness that he overheard the six of us in a meeting discussing how to go about the anomaly. What, no COA or DBM report? No bank statements? At hearsay pa! Tsk, tsk.

This leads me to conclude a more logical conspiracy: the conspiracy between Malacañang, the DOJ, AFP and PNP to destroy our parties by putting us behind bars on a non-bailable charge and then delaying the case till God knows when. In the meantime, mananahimik ang Konggreso at tuloy ang kanilang ligaya.

Mahiya ka naman, Mike

2006-04-24T18:27:00.000+08:00

Mike Defensor was the outgoing chairperson of the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) when I was elected national president of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) in 1992. Since the 1960s, these two organizations have worked closely to uphold students’ rights and welfare, the NUSP being the umbrella organization of student councils and the CEGP being the national alliance of student publications.

I did not have the opportunity to work with Mike. My contemporaries were Dennis Cunanan and Sahlee Cariño who chaired the NUSP in 1992 and 1993, respectively. From what I heard, though, I gathered that despite Mike’s “chick boy” image, he was a committed and well-respected activist and student leader.

Mike has gone a long way since then.

Last, Saturday, he showed just how far he has stooped down from his days as an activist by fuming over Cavite State University student Maria Theresa Pangilinan’s gutsy act of heckling the President during her school’s graduation rites. He said Pangilinan’s protest was “done in poor taste.” He berated the Presidential Security Group for allowing such a breach in decorum. (Read Conrad de Quiros' article on Theresa at http://news.inq7.net/opinion/index.php?index=2&story_id=73622&col=77)

So what did you want, Mike, that the PSG shoot down Pangilinan while she was shouting “Patalsikin si Gloria!”? Sus naman. Gawain din natin ‘yan nung estudyante pa tayo, di ba? Porke ba’t si GMA ang tinatamaan eh naging masama nang mag-protesta laban sa kabuktutan ng sistema?

Like Palace apologist Alex Magno, Mike prides himself in having shed his activism in order to uphold and protect the corrupt and oppressive system he riled against in the past. He is now GMA’s favorite errand boy, his good looks outclassing those of Norberto and Raul Gonzales’.

But who am I to judge Mike, right? He has his own million-and-one reasons for the 180-degree turnaround. I just hope they are the right reasons.

Ang masasabi ko lang, Mike, huwag mo namang itatwa ang mga bagay at prinsipyo na gumabay at nagpaunlad sa iyo bilang lider estudyante. I’m sure you owe Maria Theresa, the NUSP and the student movement more than that.

Discovering the Batasan Complex + more

2006-04-19T17:18:00.000+08:00

For the past 1 month and 23 days, I became familiar with the various places inside the Batasan Complex and the persons assigned to ensure our safety from the snooping eyes of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Permit me to share you a "virtual guided tour" of the Batasan Complex.

The distinguished members of the House of Representatives can hold open air gatherings – forums, seminars, holy mass, birthday parties, etc. – at many points in Congress. You have the sunken garden near the congress minority office, at the grotto just beside the southwing lobby entrance, or at the so-called freedom park where the big mango trees provide protection from the heat. These are good alternatives to expensive hotels and conference sites.

There is an open basketball court where everyone can sweat it out after a jog within the complex. My son Harvey Rafael (HR) and I play on this court every 4:00 to 6:00 pm for the past week now. I cannot defeat my son in our one-on-one engagement since a 14-year old kid has a strong legs and more stamina than his 39-year-old father. He has a Caidic-esque left hand that aids his shooting prowess.

I also learned that a covered court is soon to be built near the present basketball area. I am hoping that HR and I will not anymore play on that new court. That is, if our petitions before the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court are immediately acted upon. Any favorable resolution of the said petitions would send us back to our homes.

Oh, by the way, there is the padlocked sports club facility in the Batasan that is not maximized. A senior colleague in the House intimated to me that it can be refurbished as a dorm for the visitors who come from provincial districts. Not a bad idea compared to spending much more for a stay in hotels.

But more than the places and buildings in the complex, it is much worthwhile getting to know the people who are with us. The personnel from the Congress Legislative Security Bureau (LSB) tasked by the plenary to secure us. Hence, they do extra time apart from their usual hours of duty.

My habit of staying up late at night to talk to them, especially when we were still sleeping at the Speaker's conference room educated me so much as far as their situations are concerned.

They secure us but they are insecure in so far as the status of their employment is concerned. This early, they are told that everything will start from zero come July 2006 since the parliament will already be formed. Allegedly, certain computations for their benefits are already being cooked-up as to how much each individual employee gets the moment their items are dissolved.

They are afraid of Charter Change (Chacha). For them, Gloria's Cha-cha dance equals UNEMPLOYMENT!

I took pains in explaining to them our position against Chacha. I explained to them that the shift to parliamentary from presidential form is not the solution to the huge mess that the country is facing right now. I also shared how Chacha will affect our economy and patrimony. My explanations went beyond the issue of unemployment, if ever Chacha pushes through. Deep down, I knew it would take some time before our discussion points would sink in.

Come to think of it, the Chacha = unemployment line can be a feasible line inside the House!

Oh well. The Batasan indeed remains a complex environment for anyone and everyone. Discovering it can be a joyful experience for those seeking thorough-going changes in our country.

Why we’re still here

2006-04-19T02:26:00.000+08:00

Despite the lifting of Presidential Proclamation 1017, the crackdown against us and the legal Left in general remains real. To go around the rigid requirements of the law on the matter of arrests, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Department of Justice (DOJ) are peddling the legal fiction (an outright lie, actually) that the five of us are already under arrest in the House and that if we leave the Batasan grounds, we will simply be “re-arrested” for escaping from detention. This is unconstitutional, illegal and preposterous, to say the least.

House Resolution 1069 is clear: we are not under arrest. We are accorded protective custody by the House to ensure that our constitutional right to due process is respected. This means, among others, the right to undergo preliminary investigation before a case is filed in court and a warrant of arrest is issued. For the record, we are NOT invoking parliamentary immunity from arrest nor asking for any special treatment. All we want is to be accorded rights every Filipino should enjoy. That Congress has to pass a resolution to ensure that its members are accorded these basic rights is a testament to how such rights are being violated with impunity by the Arroyo regime.

The PNP and DOJ are bent on desecrating these rights guaranteed in the Constitution, our laws and the rules of court. They want us arrested on trumped up charges of rebellion even if probable cause has yet to be established. Worse, our members are being killed and abducted in much the same way. This is pure POLITICAL HARRASSMENT AND PERSECUTION.

If we leave the House now and allow ourselves to be arrested, then we become a party to the violation of our own rights and to our own persecution. It is neither honorable, brave nor wise to grant Pres. Arroyo and her hawks that pleasure. If they can do this to duly elected members of Congress, then they will certainly do it to ordinary citizens. Allowing such an atrocity will also deny our constituents their right to representation in Congress.

Thus, we are taking all steps possible – including filing several motions at the DOJ, Court of Appeals and Supreme Court – to stop this madness.

To sum it up, our continued stay in the Batasan is an ACT OF DEFIANCE against a regime that wants to annihilate us. We are not afraid of arrest and are ready to face all the charges against us. What we will never allow is the wanton violation of our right to due process and the continued persecution of our parties and organizations.

Easter cheers, reply to our critics

2006-04-18T16:54:00.000+08:00

What with the sweltering heat consuming our physical energies, the Lenten week could have passed us here in the cavernous Batasan Complex with utter solemnity, creeping lonesomeness, and maybe crushing boredom.

Yet the inevitable working of human empathy made Easter Sunday turn up with doses of cheers for everyone, especially for me.

As Teddy has written in his Easter blog (inunahan mo ang ninong mo, ah!), I got the most pleasant surprise and the most liberal dose of cheer. Why? My mother, whom I thought I would not see during Lent at my birthplace in Dampul, came to visit me. Thanks to my office staff, led by Yvonne, who had tearfully read my first blog and decided to do something to surprise me.

Not only did Inang come shortly after 8am, spurring my wife Bobbie, who had stayed overnight, to excitedly rush me out of my office bathroom to welcome “our visitors”. Inang came with eight of my eleven siblings (four sisters and seven brothers) and several of my nieces and nephews. Later, my son Anto joined us, followed by my elder brother and his family. We had a grand time together; we savored the five precious hours till early afternoon strengthening bonds, updating on one another’s affairs, bantering, with our bodies heaving with laughter. It was as if the gleefulness of Dampul, our Lenten Mecca, had momentarily been transported to the Batasan.

My Batasan 5 colleagues, though wrapped in joy huddled with their loved ones, could not but be infected by the glee emanating from the largest group that was Inang’s brood. We all enjoyed the lilt of Easter under the copious shades of the tall bangkal trees on the edge of the South Wing of Batasan where Teddy’s priest-brother Peter celebrated mass, followed by pot-luck lunch. By past 2pm, the party broke up, with everyone leaving with a broad smile.

Now let me reply to all the agitated bloggers who kept asking: Why do we “hide” in the Batasan? Why don’t we “come out in the open to face the charges against (us)”?

Vinsoy and other sympathetic bloggers have partly answered these questions, and I am grateful to them. Allow me to dwell further on the matter.

First, we have squarely faced the charges against us. Actually, at this point it’s apt to call them what they really are: three separate complaints filed with the Department of Justice (DOJ) by the Philippine National Police-Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (PNP-DIDM). The DOJ is trying to consolidate the complaints towards one charge of rebellion (the offense being one indivisible political act that must involve the use of armed means to overthrow the government).

Through our lawyers, we have questioned the validity – in both form and substance – of these complaints, and the relevance of the voluminous documents purported to constitute evidence of rebellion in two of these complaints. The third, according to our lawyers, cannot be considered a charge, no specific documentary basis.

After having laid the legal and practical bases through proper motions filed with the DOJ panel of prosecutors, we have elevated two issues for resolution to the appellate courts: the issue of warrantless or illegal arrest, applied in the case of Rep. Crispin B. Beltran and threatened to be applied to us, which we brought to the Court of Appeals; and the issue of the violation of our right to due process of law in the preliminary investigation on the complaints against us being carried out by the DOJ; that we brought up to the Supreme Court.

Second, we are not hiding in the Batasan as if we are fugitives from the law. We sought – and have been given – protective custody by the House of Representatives to which we belong, likewise by the Senate through unanimously adopted resolutions by the two chambers. The protection granted is for our right to preliminary investigation and against illegal or warrantless arrest.

Concurrent with such protection, we are safeguarded our right as members of the House – with a mandate from the people who elected our parties under the party-list system – to continue performing our duties by attending sessions and committee hearings of the House of Representatives. Should we allow ourselves to be arrested without warrant if we leave the Batasan premises, we would be prevented from carrying out our duties – as has happened with Rep. Crispin Beltran. Our constituents would be deprived of their voices in Congress arbitrarily through the act of detaining us pending conclusion of the preliminary investigation to determine if there exists probable cause to formally charge us in court.

That would be an injustice not only to us but to our constituents.

Walang PAKI-, Walang-ALAM?

2006-04-18T13:00:00.000+08:00

Paano kung wala ka nang bigas na mabili sa palengke o wala kang pambili?

Paano kung wala ka nang mabiling gasolina o krudo para sa iyong sasakyan o tumaas na naman ang presyo nito dahil sa Oil Deregulation?

At pati LPG, tumaas na rin.

Paano kung wala ka nang mabiling asukal sa merkado o kahit sa Tindahan ni Gloria?

Kahit ang arawang netong sahod ng manggagawang bukid sa Hasyenda at Azucarera ay P9.50 lang?

Paano kung wala kang mabiling isda o karne sa palengke o tumaas na naman nag presyo ng mga ito dahil sa E-VAT o R-VAT?

Paano kung wala kang pambili o wala ka nang mabiling cell card para sa cell phone mo?

Na, wala kang trabaho at naghahanap ka ng trabaho pero wala ka namang makitang trabaho?

Na, Tumaas na naman ang singil sa kuryente at tubig.

At paano kung nakapirma ka sa “People’s Initiative” ni Gloria at gusto mong bawiin ang pirma mo dahil nilinlang ka lang?

Di ba ang laking problema na nito?

Di ba dapat ka nang makialam sa mga usapin at problemang ito ng bayan?

HINDI PA RIN?

Eh paano kung giniba na o ginigiba na ang barong-barong nyo ng mga demolition crew, may kasama pang SWAT at PMG ng PNP dahil sasagasaan ng North Rail Project?

Masarap pa rin ba ang tulog mo?

Sasabihin mo kaya, “ Aba, hindi na tama ito!”
“Laban kung laban!”

Eh paano kung inaagawan o inaalisan ka na nang karapatang magsalita ng nasa loob mo o hinaing mo sa gubyerno?

Na-“CPR” ka na o na-Proclamation 1017 ka?

O kaya naman na-Illegal Arrest at under Arbitrary Detention ka sa Kampo Crame tulad ni Ka Bel?

Sisigaw ka na kaya ng “MAKIBAKA Huwag Matakot!”?
Ah! Siguro nga sasabihin mo na “Dapat na akong makialam!”

Sumama sa bayang sumisigaw ngayon ng:

“Uphold Civil Liberties!”

“Stop Political Persecution!”

“Never Again to Martial Law!”

May PAKI, May ALAM!

Ka Paeng Mariano

Abril 18, 2006

A call for sobriety

2006-04-17T19:33:00.000+08:00

I’ve been reading the comments on our blogsite and its good to know that freedom of expression and intellectual debate are alive and kicking on the net. My only apprehension is that the debates are starting to get circuitous and nasty, therefore counter productive.

May I suggest that we please keep the insults and name-calling to ourselves? Also, that we don’t go overboard in our arguments. Easy lang, hinay hinay. Ingatan ang puso at keyboard. As the old saying goes, we can disagree (and do so with passion) without being disagreeable.

Rest assured that we have been reading your comments and will respond to them in due time. Baguhan lang po kami dito sa blogging revolution at marami pang ibang gawain na dapat gampanan. Please be patient.

Yun lang muna at padayon sa balitaktakan!

Guess who came to lunch?

2006-04-16T20:53:00.000+08:00

Guess who came to lunch today, Easter Sunday?

Inang.

Who?

Inang, otherwise known as Cecilia Cunanan Ocampo, mother of Ka Satur. Surprise! Surprise!

Yep, you better believe it. Inang, who Satur wrote four posts ago as the person he’ll be missing most during the Lenten week, was live in the flesh having lunch with us on Easter Sunday. And for that we have to thank Satur’s staff led by Yvonne who was so touched by what Satur wrote that she just had to bring over Inang (in secret, of course) to make everyone’s day.

I’ll leave it to Satur to give the details but from eyewitness accounts, we heard that he was still in the bathroom when Inang arrived with three of his sisters. When he finally came out, there was his Inang. Tears fell, I was told.

Inang’s presence was the highlight of our Easter celebration here in the House. Before lunch, my brother Fr. Peter said mass with two of his African seminarians. Fr. Peter is an Agustinian priest and speaks perfect Swahili, having been based in Africa for four years. The open-air mass was held at the Marian Grotto in the Batasan grounds, right under three huge talisay trees.

A potluck lunch followed. My sisters brought roasted chicken and shrimp, Bien and Shayne Lumbera brought pasta puttanesca, Bobbie Malay cooked perfect kare-kare and an ubod ng niyog salad, Yvonne brought her menudo. There was barbecue, panutsa, suman from Pampanga (courtesy of the Ocampo clan), wine from Manong Raul Segovia and more food from Judy Taguiwalo and the others (sorry, hindi ko na napansin who brought what). Oh, and Quezon City Rep. Annie Susano, who’s photo with her Rolls Royce recently graced the Inquirer’s front page, sent a cake and some other stuff.

We certainly enjoyed the company of our families and friends, Satur especially, since nine of his 11 siblings, their spouses and a number of his nephews and nieces were there. Talk about a big family. It was a five-way reunion: Liza had her two sons with her, Joel his whole family, and Ka Paeng his two sons. As for me, I was content with my two brothers and two sisters who came to spend their Easter with me. My folks are in Aklan for the holidays, with my wife Ruth, son Elian and nephew Red.

Sacrifice followed by redemption. Solidarity in the midst of adversity. What a great way to celebrate the liberating message of Easter!

In The Stillness

2006-04-16T17:43:00.000+08:00

of easter night, hear my prayer……..

Bayan, bayan, bayan ko, di pa tapos ang laban mo, rebolusyon ni bonifacio, isulong mo, isulong mo; ang tao, ang bayan ngayon ay lumalaban; the people united will never be defeated; sulong gabriela, lumaban, makibaka; abante, babae, palaban, militante;

Sahod, trabaho at karapatan, ipaglaban; tunay na reporma sa lupa, ipaglaban; lupang ninuno, ibalik sa katutubo; education budget, dagdagan, dagdagan, huwag bawasan; political detainees, palayain; batuta ng pulis ibaba, sahod ng pulis, itaas; migrants’ rights are human rights; babae, bata, bayan ipaglaban;

Inutang na dugo ng pasistang militar, singilin, singilin, pagbayarin; sundalong pilipino, maglingkod ka sa bayan ‘wag sa dayuhan;

Gloria, hitler, diktador, tuta; pahirap sa masa, patalsikin si gloria.

MAKIBAKA, HUWAG MATAKOT!

Amen

Good Friday Reflections

2006-04-14T17:49:00.000+08:00

“Peace, Love, Forgiveness.” This was the message that my wife, Bobbie Malay, wrote, in my name and hers, in a piece of paper that she tucked neatly in a crevice of the “Wailing Wall” at the Maryknoll Sisters Sanctuary in Baguio City last month. It had been years since we, as a revolutionary couple freshly out of prison in 1992, were first welcomed and invited to stay for a few days and nights in the sanctuary. There we savored serenity for both mind and body, and developed kinship in spiritual and social perspectives with the Maryknoll Sisters.

On Good Friday, which is today, it’s the same message of peace, love, and forgiveness that I wish to convey to everyone who cares to visit—or who may be obligated to monitor and comment adversely on—the Batasan 6 blog.

Peace and love to the Aquino family in London (Alex, Edna, Nito, and the others); to Ilang-ilang Quijano, Vencer, James Jayme, Kabagis619, Joseph Arroyo, Vinsoy, Bugoy, Ngekngek, and the many others who have chosen to remain anonymous. Thanks to all of you who have expressed support, encouragement, understanding, and sympathy for me and the rest of Batasan 6, especially Vinsoy, who evinces deeper insight into and wider perspective on the nature of our struggle. Mabuhay kayo!

Peace and forgiveness to “Noli me Tangere”, “Ibagsak”, “Bincent”, “Kuwait Guy”, “son of policeman”, “Jeddah”, “former NPA successful OWA”, and the others who have chosen to be anonymous, perhaps the better to release the venom in their blood. May you ease up on your biases and unnecessary aggravations. Please try to look at both sides of the issues, for the sake of your health.

Now allow me to share what Good Friday has meant for me.

Good Friday has special significance for me: it was on a Good Friday, 67 years ago, that I was born in the family farm house in Dampul, Sta. Monica, Sta. Rita, Pampanga. The midwife who mediated my birthing was so suffused with exalted ideas as to ascribe meaning to my having come into this world at approximately the time—three o’clock in the afternoon—that the Christian faithful commemorated Jesus Christ’s dying on the cross in Calvary. Peremptorily, she declared that the baby boy that was me, who was unusually quiet at birth, would bear the burden and the sacrifices of a new Redeemer.

Somehow, the idea of being a redeemer had been infused into my consciousness in my years of growing-up as a farm boy, as a leader in class and school activities since primary school, through high school, and into college. Such consciousness impelled me to regard the world I grew up in with serious contemplation. Since my youth in such a small town, I developed a very critical view of the social realities of economic deprivation and exploitation of the poor and the weak by the rich and the powerful. At such a young age, I personally experienced discrimination and oppression for being the son of a peasant. Such experience drove me to endeavor to excel in school and extra-curricular activities, and to involve myself in social activism in my later years, even as I became a journalist dedicated to serving the people’s interest and welfare.

After I became a revolutionary, I chucked the idea of being a redeemer by my lonesome. I have since recognized that as historical experiences have shown, it is the people united and mobilized through the mass movement who shall redeem themselves from the shackles of poverty, domestic oppression and exploitation, and foreign domination. To be useful and relevant, I have fused my humble self with the mass movement for thoroughgoing social change.

Mamas Love to Rock

2006-04-13T18:56:00.000+08:00

Last weekend my two sons Niko, 21 and Anton, 15 came to visit. Huddled together in the dark of night, we started to talk about the what ifs of our situation. We talked about the possibility of my arrest and detention and about their future when it happens. We managed to put off discussing this for forty-one days until that Saturday, April 8. After some time, Niko sensing these depressing thoughts and wanting to calm our souls suggested that we talk about the topic that the three of us love – music.

They talked about Steve Vai and how good a musician he is. “Malupit sa gitara, astig” is how Niko describes him. He said he knows good music when he hears one, be it classical or rock. That music is mathematics. It has to be precise and a good musician must have the precision and technique that can only come out from study, practice and a large dose of discipline. He further said that maybe his ear for good music was developed early when inside my womb he could hear the classical music I used to play on my tape recorder.

That night while Niko and Anton were fast asleep, I listened to Steve Vai’s Beethoven’s 5^th. He is good, divine. Crossing close to two hundred years, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 is as beautiful as ever. Steve Vai’s rock music rocked me to sleep. Half awake and maybe half asleep, I thought about mathematics, music and mass movement. How in these three fields “precision and technique that can only come out from study, practice and a large dose of discipline” as how Niko puts it, is very important.

I wondered too if mamas always loved to rock. Have they not been doing so since the beginning of humankind? Before Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix, Pepe Smith, Sampagita, Mike Hanopol and Asin’s folksy rock? There is a truism in the feminist saying written on a poster that hangs on the wall at GABRIELA’s office. It says: The hand that rocks the cradle should also rock the boat.

Yes, Mamas do love to rock.

Lenten musing: I miss mother!

2006-04-12T23:05:00.000+08:00

Shafts of golden rays of the tropic sun pierced through the half-shaded glass door leading to the veranda of the Speaker’s conference room, in one corner of which I spent the warm night stretched out on a narrow sleeping pad on the wooden floor. It’s 6 am, and in the past 43 nights, I have woken up to the penetrating sunbeams reflected on the white wall upon which paintings of past Philippine presidents at work hang side by side.

Today is the 45th day that we, the “Batasan 5” – the prime objects of political persecution by the Macapagal-Arroyo government – have used the conference room of Speaker Jose de Venecia as our sleeping quarters. Since Feb. 27, we have been holed up in the House of Representatives under its protective custody from the threat of illegal arrest (sans warrant from a court of justice) by the Philippine National Police with the sanction of the Department of Justice.

Eagerly, or anxiously, each one of us – Liza Maza, Rafael Mariano, Teodoro Casiño, Joel Virador and myself – await news on whether we would be allowed by the Court of Appeals to go home to our families, or, we shall remain here for still an indeterminate period of time. Last Thursday (April 6), through our lawyers, we filed a motion for certiorari with prohibition with the Court of Appeals. We ask the court to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the DOJ and the PNP, ordering them to desist from arresting us without a warrant duly issued by a court only after the determination of probable cause to put us on trial for the crime of rebellion.

At this point, we have not been formally charged in court. The three complaints against us – to be sure, these are trump charges based on concocted allegations –
are still on the stage of preliminary investigation to determine the existence of probable cause that shall justify the filing of a formal charge.

We cry out against political persecution because the Macapagal-Arroyo government has publicly declared us to have already committed rebellion and wants us thrown into prison even before we are charged in court.

On Monday, the Lenten Week began. The TV news since that night reported lengthily on the exodus of people from the metropolis to the provinces. Each person interviewed expressed the wish to return to one’s hometown, there to observe, with family and friends, the annual religious rites about the passion, death and resurrection of Christ.

The thought that I would not be able to leave the House during the Lenten Week brought me a deep sense of sadness. Not that I am so religiously-inclined as to profoundly feel being deprived of my right to fulfill my socio-religious obligation, although I was brought up in a large peasant family keen on observing the rites of Lent every passing year and, I must concede, the solemnity of the rites and the utter devotedness of my townfolk to such rites never fail to move me. But that I can afford to miss this year.

What saddens me is the thought that I wouldn’t be able to see my mother, all of 95 years now. I will not be able to comfort her with the assurance that I am okay, and that her brood of 12 children, all living, would become whole one more time: within view of her failing sight, her hearing our familiar voices that are music to her, as she gives us her tender loving caresses and blessing.

I am, after all these 67 years of my life, a son with a strong impulse to go back to my mother’s bosom that had nursed me as a baby. I yearn to sit by my mother’s side and listen to her again talk of the years gone by in those vast expanse of rice fields where I grew up as a farm boy. She would muse always with an infectious mirthfulness that never fades. At 95, my mother is ever youthful-sounding and youthful-feeling in her reveries.

This Lenten week, I’ll miss her the most.

(An undated photo with my mother and my grandson Dalan. Courtesy of Sipag Pinoy newsmagazine)

If we're Voltes 5, who's Zuhl?

2006-04-12T10:32:00.000+08:00

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales made a monumental blunder yesterday in comparing the Batasan 5 to Voltes 5. Old as he is, he probably didn't know that for an entire generation (mine, particularly), Voltes 5 symbolized the triumph of good over evil, democracy over tyranny.

As a Voltes 5 fan, I thank Sec. Gonzales for the honor.

I remember my first taste of state repression when Marcos banned Voltes 5 because of its message that with unity and struggle comes justice and liberation. Now the same evil of tyranny and dictatorship stalks the nation. It’s time Voltes 5 strikes back.

Here’s the English translation of the Voltes 5 theme:

Someday the suns of light shall fill all the earth
The morning of justice shall have come to its birth
So we shall wave our banners high and free through the air
For the love and glory we can also share

Soldiers come reunite, fight, fight for peace
Hand in hand like eagles thru the breeze
Over land and over seas

Voltes V we come to you
Flashing thru with wings of steel
Fates of foes are what you seal
With swords of laser light

Over land and over seas
Onward, victory!

Just a parting shot: if we’re the Voltes 5 team (Ka Satur can be Steve Armstrong, Joel can be Mark Gordon, Ka Paeng is Big Bert, I can be little John and of course, Liza is Jamie Robinson), guess who makes up the evil Boazanian Empire?

Sec. Gonzales, for one, certainly looks and sounds like Zuhl, Prince Heinell’s one-horned sycophant whose main mission in life is to defeat the electromagnetic super robot Voltes 5. Gonzales' first name, Raul, is uncannily similar to Zuhl. In the end of the series, Zuhl is executed after betraying his prince.

GMA may have balls but no heart and soul

2006-04-09T19:12:00.000+08:00

Shooting his mouth off as always, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales says that unlike outgoing Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Pres. Gloria Arroyo has the “balls” not to resign from the presidency.

All I can say to that is, Mrs. Arroyo may have the balls and surely the gall to cling to her post but in exchange, she has lost her heart and soul as a leader. Puro kapal ng mukha at tapang ng apog na lang si Presidente, wala nang puso at kaluluwa.

The President should take to heart Pinoy Big Brother winner Keanna Reeves’ birthday advice for her to "have a heart."

But Mrs. Arroyo doesn’t only lack a heart. She's lost her soul as well. That is why in her administration, such values like truth, justice, integrity and honor have disappeared altogether. This government has basically lost its morals. Once a government loses that, then it’s all downhill from there.

So my advice to Sec. Gonzales is, better hold on to his and the President’s balls because they’re going to get kicked sooner or later.

Charter Change and mining

2006-04-06T14:42:00.000+08:00

Among the deceitful Malacañang agenda to amend the 1987 Constitution is to pave the way to intensified environment and economic degradation due to liberalized mining.

We firmly believe that Arroyo’s charter change drive also aims to add more teeth to the already notorious 1995 Philippine Mining Act (Republic Act 7942), that the Supreme Court again affirmed last year. The decision of the high tribunal declaring the constitutionality of Section 76 of R.A. 7942 and its implementing rules and regulations was expected.

However, no amount of touted revenues and compensation can pay for the permanent damage to the environment, the displacement of indigenous communities, and the loss of lives and livelihood that will result from large-scale mining.

It is frustrating that the lessons from our people’s tragic experiences with large-scale foreign mining in Boac, Marinduque, Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte, Rapu-rapu, Albay, Didipio, Nueva Vizcaya, Surigao del Norte, and other areas are ignored by the national government. It should be noted, however, that no measures have been put in place to reverse the continuing damage to the environs and people of the said areas.

We challenge the Supreme Court justices to go to these areas and see for themselves what the local communities have lost: indigenous peoples’ ancestral domain, once productive farmlands, pristine rivers, and marine ecosystems. This may help them see the anti-Filipino and anti-environment nature of RA 7942.

The full-blown implementation of a liberalized, privatized, and deregulated mining industry will come into reality once charter change has been enacted. The constitutional overhaul will allow 100% foreign-ownership of our lands and the exploitation of our natural resources. Charter change will actually further open the country to unbridled foreign exploitation and plunder

Under the current Constitution, land ownership is reserved for Filipinos so that our people should have the priority to develop our resources for the good of the country.

The proposed Constitutional amendments for liberalization will further aggravate landlessness, land-use conversion, the whole-sale exploitation of our natural resources, food insecurity, and the destruction of the environment. Filipinos will be deprived of the right to use the country’s resources for their own benefit. Local industry and agriculture, which cannot compete with big multinational companies, will also be destroyed.

We will heighten opposition to the Arroyo-engineered Charter Change and continue to work for an alternative people’s mining policy.

Why I voted NO to the Anti-Terrorism Bill

2006-04-06T10:38:00.000+08:00

At whatever angle you look at it, House Bill 4839 or the Anti-Terrorism Bill, defies all recognized statutes, every existing law and no less than the Constitution itself.

This bill will invalidate whatever we have gained throughout our nation's colorful history: the relative freedoms we now enjoy, attained through blood spilled by our forebears and modern-day martyrs in their fight and continuing struggle against tyranny and oppression.

Defining terrorism will be the same as calculating infinity. The bill’s definition illustrates the whimsical nature of the bill, encompassing even the most natural of all human acts and functions.

Perhaps by deliberately raising my voice to stress my point, I would jolt my colleagues from their comfortable seats, and in the process strike panic and fear in their hearts. Would I then be guilty of committing terrorism?

If a movie house was to feature a gory horror flick that would most certainly cause fear to a segment of the general public, would its proprietor be liable under this bill?

To proclaim that this bill intends to preserve peace and security is like burning a house down to prevent an arsonist from doing it himself. The bill claims to protect human rights but does exactly the opposite. In the end, Congress is not here to practice democracy, but merely preserve its trappings.

The 13th Congress has been publicly identified as a rubberstamp of Malacañang . A notoriety it gained during deliberations on Arroyo’s tax measures and the clobbered impeachment proceedings. Taken in the context of the crisis in leadership experienced by the current occupant in Malacañang, the public is inclined to view the passage of the anti-terrorism law as a way to shield the beleaguered President from her critics.

Considering the government’s current tendency to implement repressive measures, an anti-terror bill at this point would be the pinnacle of despotism of the Arroyo regime. The law will transform the whole nation into a police state. It is Proclamation 1017 institutionalized and stripped of its pretensions. Intended to quell public dissension against an illegitimate President, the Anti-Terror Bill becomes a self-interest bill that should be fervently opposed.

That the bill is eerily silent on State terrorism exposes its real objective of targeting and preempting the government’s legitimate and legal political opponents. It does not condemn or penalize the mass bombings of civilian communities by the AFP in Mindanao and in the countryside, despite easily fitting the description of terrorist acts. It does not preclude political harassment, abductions and killings of activists but actually justifies and legalizes their commission.

Approving this bill ultimately panders to the whims of the U.S. in its objective of consolidating its global politico-military position. The U.S. has been eagerly pushing for the enactment of this bill not only in the Philippines but in other countries as well. It would surely be in the interest of the Arroyo regime to preserve U.S. favor in her government’s moment of irredeemable crisis.

Five minutes with Keanna

2006-04-05T01:48:00.000+08:00

Today Keanna Reeves, winner of Celebrity Pinoy Big Brother, visited us at the Batasan. It was so different the last time she came in 2004, when she was taking the heat from the Senate for refusing to divulge the names of politicians hiring the services of escort girls like her. At that time, Gabriela came to her rescue, giving her much needed support for her decision to tell the world the truth.

Today, Keanna came to return the favor to Gabriela's Liza Maza and the rest of the Batasan 6. On her blouse she had pinned a yellow butterfly, which, she said, symbolized her metamorphosis from controversial escort girl to respected celebrity. Coincidentally, the butterfly is the adopted symbol of Gabriela's campaign against political persecution called "Free our sisters, free ourselves". Tamang-tama.

And so there were, sort of starstruck, basking in Keanna's rebirth and newfound fame. Joel's kids asked for her autograph. The congressional staff couldn't get enough pictures of her ("Pwede magpa-picture? Paborito ka ng apo ko!"). She happily obliged, even signing a letter-petition to free Ka Bel.

Her words for us were: "Nandito ako para ipakita ko ang suporta ko sa kanilang lahat. Kung ano ang ipinaglaban nila, nasa likod [nila] ako. Kasi alam ko naman na nakipaglaban sila para sa kabutihan ng pangkalahatan."

And for Pres. Arroyo, these words of wisdom: "Alam n'yo, ako strong din akong babae mula noong maliit pa ko. Akala ko 'yun ang weapon para malabanan ko lahat ng problema ko sa buhay, kung ano mang problema ang dadating. Pero mali pala 'yun. Dapat pala maging strong ka na may puso.

"Kaya open your heart po. Intindihin ninyo 'yung lahat ng bagay kasi hindi naman magkakagulo kung...basta, parang kabayo ba...wala namang masamang kabayo kung mabuti ang kuchero."

Why I voted “NO” to the budget bill

2006-04-04T22:31:00.000+08:00

When we passed all those tax measures last year – the VAT, the sin taxes and others – it was on the promise of more funds for social services and development. The proposed 2006 budget grievously reneges on that promise.

The General Appropriations Act is the single most tangible expression of an administration’s programs, strategies and priorities. This budget expresses exactly that – that the priority of this administration is not to serve the basic needs of our toiling people, but rather to keep the current administration in power. Matapos nating tapyasin ang anumang tabang natitira sa ating mamamayan sa pamamagitan ng mga dagdag na buwis, ngayon nama’y gagamitin natin ito upang prituhin sila.

The budget provides for P8 billion worth of presidential pork barrel, a survival fund to be disbursed to local government units as she wishes, subject to the usual spreading around of the loot. Another P1.25 billion is also hidden from Congressional scrutiny as they are majestically marked “confidential” and thus immune from disclosure.

Now we are told that there is hidden in the budget a P2.6 billion contingency fund but that the money will not be used for much-needed social services but for a fake people’s initiative on Charter change. Why this was not mentioned at all during the deliberations, only the House leadership can say.

As always, the 2006 budget prioritizes debt servicing above all else, reserving P340 billion, or 32% of the entire government budget to interest payments. In reality, the total debt servicing budget, including principal payments, is a whopping P721.7 billion, or 50% of total expenditures. In a similar twist of accounting magic, proponents hide from us the fact that total authorized disbursement of the government is actually P1.5 trillion to include hidden liabilities.

In real per capita terms, debt payments will cost every single Filipino P8.13 per day. In contrast, the government will spend a measly 52 centavos per day for health services – not even enough to buy aspirin for an overstressed, underpaid worker. The government likewise spends only P7.87 a day for every student despite the already glaring deficiencies of our educational system.

As a final attempt to at least make the budget more responsive to our people’s needs, I proposed to re-channel a total of P7.384 B from the intelligence funds of the President, the PNP and AFP as well as the VFA Commission, the AFP Modernization Program, and the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to the DepEd budget. Apparently, this was not even given a thought by the House leadership.

For these and many more reasons, I voted NO to this anti-people budget.

Cha-cha starts on wrong foot

2006-04-03T12:18:00.000+08:00

How can a “systemic change” that purports to reform the corrupt political system be the final solution it is made out to be when it is anchored on the most basic building block of corruption – a bribe?

The main reason why incumbent local officials, including congressmen, have jumped into the cha-cha bandwagon is because they were bribed with an automatic 3-year extension of their terms via Cha-cha’s implicit no-election scenario (the 2007 elections WILL be postponed).

The main reason why the fake people’s initiative is gaining ground is because the signatories and signature collectors are being bribed with money, rice, goods and the assurance of more political largesse from their incumbent local officials until 2010 at least.

And so what we have here is a “solution” to a problem that is anchored on the very problem it aims to solve. Confused? You bet.

The truth is that cha-cha is not a solution to government abuse and/or corruption. It aims, in fact, to further strengthen and institutionalize corruption by making the parliament a far worse old boys club than Congress already is. It also aims to give Pres. Arroyo greater and wider powers, at least during the 2007-2010 transition phase, for her to snare the prime ministership after her presidency ends.

Cha-cha is a classic case of the cure being worse than the disease.

Interview with Rep. Crispin "Ka Bel" Beltran

2006-04-02T19:04:00.000+08:00

Room 1, Philippine National Police General Hospital, Camp Crame
March 31, 2006

Kamusta na po kayo? Kamusta ang iyong kalagayan?

KA BEL: Sa kalagayan, ay masama ang kalagayan ko. Pwedeng tignan sa, unang-una, iyong kalagayang pampulitika: dito sa kulungan, siyempre, hindi ka makapagsalita ng kung ano gusto mong sabihin. In other words, kitang-kita ang kawalan mo ng kalayaan

Ngayon, sa kalusugan naman, masyadong erratic ang aking blood pressure. Paminsan-minsan, bumabababa ng napakababa. Halimbawa ang basa [ng blood pressure] ay [umabot] hanggang sa 90/60 at paminsan-minsan naman tumataas ng mataas na mataas, 180/120. At mayroon pa akong 'kutob' sa puso, na medically kung tawagin [ito] ay murmur of the heart.

So iyon na ang nadadaransan natin.

At siyempre pa, matagal-tagal na akong may record ng diabetes. Isa pa rin iyon sa minamanmanan natin, at gayundin iyong sakit sa baga. Noong year 2000 ay na-opsital [ako] ng more than 1 month at inalisan ng tubig ang aking baga, na umabot sa tatlong litro at kalahati.

Sa iyon ang mga minamanmanan natin ngayon na sakit.

Ngayon sa espiritu naman, o kaya katatagan ng loob, ay mas matatag ang kalooban ko ngayon kaysa sa dati. Sapagkat buong-buo sa aking isipan na kailangang ipagpatuloy ang pakikibaka para sa pambansang kalayaan at demokrasya, sapagkat ito lamang ang tanging daan sa paglaya ng ating bayan.

Ano naman po ang mensahe ninyo sa mga tao na humihiling para sa iyong pagpapalaya?

KA BEL: Ako ay lubos-lubos na nagpapasalamant sa kanila, sa kanilang ginagawa sa ating paglaya. Pero higit sa lahat, ang aking hinihingi, katulad din nila, ay ang paglaya ng sambayanang Pilipino mula sa kalagayan ng oppression, repression, at extreme poverty. Kailangang lumaya tayo sa lahat ng ito.

Kung kaya't ipinapanukala ko ulit sa kanila na kailangang ituloy-tuloy namin ang aming sinumpaan na commitment sa bayan na ipagpatuloy ng mas masugid at nagkakaisa iyong pakikibaka para sa pambansang paglaya at demokrasya sa ating bayan.

At sa ilalim nito, [nandiyan iyong] kailangang sentrohan namin ang pakikibaka para sa kabuhayan ng mamamayan na umaabot ngayon sa 90% ng kabuuang mamamayan sa bansa natin, ay halos kapos o walang kabuhayan.

Pangalawa, kailangang ituloy-tuloy natin ang pakikibaka para sa karapatang pantao. Sapagkat alam naman nating lahat ngayon na [ang] sinesentruhan ng pagyurak sa karapatang-pantao ay iyong mga kasamahan nating mga aktibista na [sumusulong sa pakikibakang] pangkabuhayan at pampulitika, na tuloy tuloy ang kanilang pagkilos. Kinikitil ngayon ang kanilang buhay ng mga military at goons ng administrasyong Arroyo.

Doon natin itutuon ang pakikibaka para sa paggalang ng karapatang pantao.

Pangatlo, yung pakikibaka para matamo ang katarungang panlipunan, na sa ngayon ay nananatiling panaginip lamang.

At ang panghuli ang pakikibaka para sa kapayapaan ng ating bayan.

Mababalikan [ko] pala iyong tungkol sinabi ko na pakikibaka para sa kabuhayan. May dalawang (2) mahalagang programa sa ilalim nito, at ito yung pakikibaka para sa pagkakaroon ng tunay na repormang agraryo, na siya ang tungtungang pangkabuhayan na isinusulong. Kaakibat nito, ang buong pagsisikap para magkaroon ng tunay na pambansang industriyalisasyon, sapagkat kung wala ang dalawang (2) na ito ay mahirap maabot ang economic emancipation ng ating bansa

Iyon lahat-lahat ang ating ipinakikibaka sa ngayon, na kumbaga sinuma lang natin ang 20-point program na inihain natin sa pamahalaan nang tayo ay nagumpisang lumahok sa pampulitika o parliamentaryong pakikibaka sa loob ng Kongreso.

Inuulit natin na iyong pakikibaka sa loob ng Kongreso ay dagdag na entablado lamang sa pakikibaka ng martsa ng sambayanan sa labas ng Kongreso. Ang tunay na inaasahan natin ay yung pagtatagumpay ng pakikibaka sa labas ng Kongreso.

Ano naman po yung mensahe ninyo sa mga taong na nais panatilihin kayo sa piitan?

KA BEL: Sa mga taong nandodoon sa kampo o mga kaporal ng reaksyonaryong pulitika at programang ekonomiya na gusto akong panalitihin dito: sana maunawaan ninyo na ang ipinakikibang ito ng partido Anakpawis, o kaya ng masang anakpawis, ay para sa inyo rin.

Isinusumpa namin na kailanman ang napakaraming mamamayan [ang] lumalangoy sa kumunoy ng kahirapan at kakaunti lamang na mamamayan lamang ang nagtatamasa ng kayamanan at kaginwahaan-- darating ang panahon na hindi na rin ninyo pakikinabangan ang inyong kayamanan kung ayaw ninyong ma-'save' ang nakakarami na nandidyan sa kumunoy ng kahirapan.

Sabi nga ng mga nakaraang Presidente, lalong lalo na si Pres. [John F.] Kennedy ng Estados Unidos, "If you can not save the many who are poor, you can not save the few who are rich"*.

Ayon po ang mensahe natin sa mga taong palayo at umaabuso sa kapangyahiran, na pinagsasamantalahan at inaapi ang nakararami. Iyon ang ibinibigay natin na
warning sa kanila.

Iyon lamang at maraming salamat.

*Taken from Pres. John F. Kennedy's inaugural speech dated January 20, 1961, as follows: " To those peoples in the huts and villages across the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required-not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich."

Cry Freedom

2006-03-30T17:37:00.000+08:00

Congress is traditionally known as the last bastion of democracy. Here, the people's elected representatives reign supreme. We can say anything about anything without fear of getting arrested. We can compel public officials to explain their actions. We can impeach presidents for their crimes against the people.

Well, this last bastion of democracy is now our prison.

Liza, Satur, Joel, Ka Paeng and I have been holed up inside the Batasan complex for one month now. Once we step outside, we will be arrested by the police on the convoluted logic that since we are suspected of rebellion, then we can be arrested without any warrant anytime, anywhere. In fact, they claim that we are already under arrest, and that we will simply be "re-arrested" once we cross the gate. That's democracy for you.

So now we run to that other bastion of democracy - cyberspace. Here we can cross not just the Batasan gates but entire continents and oceans (with a single click of a mouse!). Here we can say "Patalsikin si Gloria" and not be charged with rebellion. Here we can speak our minds and hearts out without fear of getting persecuted.

Kaya tuloy ang laban! Long live the Blogging Revolution!