PRESS RELEASE
8 June 2014
Contact Persons: BMP National President Leody de Guzman – 0920 5200672
BMP National Capital Region-Rizal (BMP-NCRR) Secretary General Gie Relova – 0915 2862555
Build-up for June 12 Independence Day Anti-Pork Rally:
Militant
Workers Initiate Decentralized Grassroots Protests in an Independent
Movement to "Investigate-Prosecute-Jail All Crooks and Thieves!"
FACTORY
workers and urban poor activists from the militant Bukluran ng
Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) and Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng Maralita ng
Lungsod (KPML) held simultaneous pickets in various parts of Metro
Manila and adjacent provinces today. The protests are part of build-up
activities for the nationwide anti-pork assemblies on June 12, called
for by various multi-sectoral and broad coalitions.
At
around 10:00 am today, BMP members from labor unions and community
organizations staged a picket at several choke-points of Metro Manila,
including Mabuhay (Welcome) Rotonda in Quezon City, Monumento Shrine in
Caloocan City, Barangay Concepcion in Marikina City and Bicutan
Interchange in Taguig City. Similar protests were also held in Laguna,
Cavite, Bulacan, Cebu City and Bacolod City.
Through
these simultaneous protests, the BMP is launching "an independent class
movement of the Filipino workers for total cleansing of the rotting
elitist bureaucracy and for meaningful reforms in appropriating the
national budget".
Not just Pogi, Sexy and Tanda, investigate all!
BMP
National President Leody de Guzman, at Welcome Rotunda said, "Ikulong
at parusahan lahat ng mga korap! Hindi lang sina Pogi, Sexy and Tanda,
(referring to opposition senators Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada and Enrile,
based on the statements of state witness Benhur Luy). We deserve a
thorough cleansing of the bureaucracy, not shameless and shallow
politicking by the yellow Liberal administration party".
De
Guzman added, "The Napoles affidavit, however crooked her intentions
maybe with its disclosure, provides an opportunity for an impartial
investigation of the alleged P10 Billion pork barrel scam. If Noynoy
Aquino wants to rescue what is left of his already discredited 'tuwid na
daan' rhetoric, he must relentlessly pursue and investigate all
politicians implicated in this
grand thievery of the
nation's coffers, including Budget Secretary Butch Abad, Agriculture
Secretary Proseso Alcala, TESDA Director Joel Villanueva and Senate
President Franklin Drilon."
Workers to march side-by-side with the middle class
Meanwhile,
at the Monumento Shrine, worker and urban poor militants from Caloocan,
Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela, brought placards that read: "Ikulong
Lahat!", "Prosecute All!", "Jail All", "Totoong Pagbabago, hindi
Maneobrahan ng mga Trapo!", "Gobyerno ng Masa, hindi ng Elitista!".
Gie
Relova, Secretary-General of the BMP National Capital Region-Rizal
(BMP-NCRR) said, "Workers pay their taxes in the form of blood, sweat
and tears. Their measly wages are further reduced by withholding taxes,
which bear the 12% VAT when they purchase their bare necessities. Hence,
we have every right to pursue justice against corruption in government.
We have every reason to condemn the largesse enjoyed by trapos and
mercenaries like Napoles".
"Workers are willing to
march side-by-side with various sectors and classes in Philippine
society, who are now rising against the pork barrel system and elite
rule. The people's movement against pork has broadened even more since
the middle class-led August 26 Million People March last year. Now, our
present task is to deepen it, by going to the workers and the poor, to
factories and urban poor communities, to involve and inspire the
millions of unorganized masses in the struggle for meaningful reforms
and total cleansing of government. Once enlightened, the workers and the
poor would readily lend its numbers to the people's crusade against
pork barrel and corruption, provided that its trajectory is not only
against personalities of the elitist opposition," Relova clarified.
In
the coming weeks, after the June 12 broad anti-pork rally, the BMP
would organize decentralized protests and fora to explain the issue of
pork barrel, political dynasty and elite rule at the grassroots level.
"The workers and the poor must not allow themselves to become cannon
fodders of the administration and opposition factions of the elite by
condemning, in totality, the moribund system of elite democracy," he
explained.
Ultimately, he concluded, "Reforms must be
enacted to prevent widespread corruption. We need not only transparency
through the passage of the freedom of information (FOI) law. As long as
the bureaucracy operates in secret, as long as ordinary civilians are
only called for in the political arena as mere voters of elite
candidates and have no direct participation in government's budgetary
process, scheming thieves like Napoles and crafty corrupt politicians
will find ways to use state funds for personal enrichment". #
