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Suriin ang Halalang 2019

(1) Marami na ang naglitanya ng mga dahilan kung bakit hindi kapani-paniwala, bagkus kaduda-duda at maanomalya, ang resulta ng eleksyong 2019 – – lalo na sa Senado at party-list. Nakatago mula sa independyenteng pagsusuri ang naging bilangan sa pangalawang automated o de-kompyuter na eleksyon sa bansa.

Malinaw ang gustong palabasing mensahe: napakapopular ni Pang. Rodrigo Duterte, at naging mas popular pa siya kaysa noong bagong halal. Ang mga manok niya ay nanguna, at kahit iyung bagito sa eleksyon at hindi gaanong kilala ay lumusot. Labag ito sa kalakaran ng pulitika sa bansa, at sa tinakbo mismo ng rehimen ni Duterte: mula pagkapanalo, gumawa ito ng maraming krimen at sa gayo’y umani ng maraming kritiko kung hindi man kalaban kahit sa hanay ng mga mamamayan.

Sa rehistrong pulitikal, gustong palabasing marami ang sumusuporta sa mga patakaran ng rehimen niya: patayan at paglabag sa karapatang pantao, pagpapakatuta sa US at China, pahirap na buwis at palpak na serbisyo, walang humpay na pag-insulto at pag-atake sa mga kritiko, at iba pa. Gustong palabasing nakakuha ang rehimen ng bagong mandato na ituloy ang mga patakarang ito at gawin ang mas dramatiko: Charter Change, pederalismo, death penalty at iba pa.

(2) Sa ganitong konteksto lumaganap sa social media ang talakayan tungkol sa “Bobotante.” Nagmumula ito sa posisyon ng pagiging kritikal sa rehimen, pero may mga seryosong pagkakamali: ipinagpapalagay nito na malinis ang halalan at hawak ng kampo ni Duterte ang nakakarami, lalo na ang masa. Sa dulo, nag-aambag ito sa taktikal na layunin ngayon ng rehimen: ang mabasbasang lehitimo ang kakatapos na eleksyon.

May kadikit-kahawig na pagsusuri ito sa hanay ng mga nakapag-aral na iniuugnay ang eleksyon sa pasismo at populismo, sa mga eleksyong naipanalo ni Hitler sa Germany at ni Mussolini sa Italya, sa kamalayan ng masa. Bagamat may elemento ng pasismo at populismo sa rehimeng Duterte, igigiit ng mga Marxista ang mas materyal na reyalidad ng Pilipinas: ang pandaraya ng eleksyon at kahit ang malawakang pagbili ng boto.

Mas mahalaga: sa Pilipinas kung saan malakas bagamat nagpapalakas pa ang kamalayan at pagkilos ng masa, ang eleksyon ay larangan sa pangunahin ng mga naghaharing uri at mga dayuhang kapangyarihan, hindi ng masa. Sa ngayon at sa pangunahin, ang resulta ng eleksyon ay repleksyon ng, at naglilingkod sa, interes ng mga dayuhang kapangyarihan at naghaharing uri, hindi ng masa.

(3) Kung batay sa dumi, daya at dahas, ang eleksyong 2019 ang isa sa pinakamarumi sa huling kasaysayan – – maikukumpara sa 2004 at 1986, mga eleksyong pampresidente. Pero baka higit pa kung ibabatay sa usapin ng dahas: ito ang panahong pinatay sina Randy Malayao at Toto Patigas at marami pang iba, at ang Negros 14.

Bakit naging napakarumi ng halalang ito? Hindi iyan masasagot sa pagsusuri sa umano’y kamalayan at pagboto ng masa, kundi sa galaw ng mga dayuhang kapangyarihan at mga paksyon ng mga naghaharing uri sa bansa. Mahalagang makontrol nila ang Senado, lalong makontrol ang Kongreso, at mapahina ang mga kritiko. Mahalaga sa kanila ang halalang 2019 at – – maghanda, maghanda – – ang magiging halalang 2022.

Una, ang paksyon ng mga naghaharing uri na kinakatawan ni Duterte. Sa dami ng krimen niya sa sambayanan, kailangan at gusto niyang makatakas sa pananagutan. Pinerpekto niya ang mga instrumentong mapaniil at mapanirang-puri laban sa mga kritiko at tiyak na lalaban siya, sa anumang paraan, huwag lang magamit ang mga ito laban sa kanya ng sinumang papalit sa kanya – – kung mapapatalsik siya o sa 2022.

Ikalawa, ang mga paksyon ng naghaharing uri na kinakatawan ng mga Marcos at ni Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Hindi na lang pagtakas sa pananagutan sa dating mga krimen ang layunin nila sa pananatili ni Duterte sa pwesto. Wala nang mas magandang panahon kundi ngayon para sa matagal nang ambisyon ng mga Marcos, gayundin ni Arroyo, na bumalik sa Malakanyang, bawiin ang dangal, at baligtarin ang hatol sa kanila ng kasaysayan!

Ikatlo, ang China, malakas at lalo pang lumalakas na dayuhang kapangyarihan sa bansa at sa mundo. Nadala sa palabang postura sa geo-pulitika ng rehimen ni Noynoy Aquino – – dahil sagad-sagaring tuta ng US, karibal ng China – – nakipagmabutihan at namuhunan ang China sa mga paksyon ng naghaharing uri na bukas dito: Duterte, Macapagal-Arroyo, Marcos. Ngayon, lumalakas ito sa bansa sa larangan ng ekonomiya at geo-pulitika, na mahalaga sa paglakas nito sa buong daigdig at tiyak na hindi nito basta papakawalan sa mga darating na taon. Sumusuporta ito sa lahat ng nakikipagmabutihan dito, mula progresibong gobyerno ng Venezuela hanggang pasistang gobyerno sa Pilipinas.

Ikatlo, ang US. Bagamat sinasabing humihinang kapangyarihan sa daigdig at “nakatanaw-sa-sarili” sa ilalim ni Donald Trump, pinakamalakas pa rin itong imperyalista sa Pilipinas. Hindi nito tahas na tinutuligsa o binabangga ang pagiging sunud-sunuran ni Duterte sa China, todong nakikipagmabutihan din kay Duterte, at minamaksimisa ang pakinabang na ekonomiko at geo-pulitikal sa bansa.

Ikaapat, ang malalaking burgesya-komprador at panginoong maylupa sa bansa. Sa pangkalahatan, maganda para sa yaman nila si Duterte. Iwas sila sa anumang pag-atake ng rehimen, kung tototohanin nito ang mga banta laban sa “mga oligarko.” Ang suma-tutal, pananahimik sa harap ng mga krimen ni Duterte, kung hindi man pagiging sunud-sunuran dito.

Sa ganitong hugpungan ng mga dominanteng interes – – ng China bersus US, ng mga Duterte, Marcos, Macapagal-Arroyo bersus mga kalaban nila – – dapat ilugar ang eleksyong 2019. May mga matagalang proyekto ng paghahari na nakataya, lampas sa isang termino sa pagkapangulo. Kinailangan ng rehimeng Duterte na ipanalo ito, sa santong dasalan o sa santong paspasan; hindi ito tatanggap ng pagkatalo. Ang resulta: pinakamaruming halalan sa huling kasaysayan.

(4) Sa ganitong malupit na sitwasyon mapapahalagahan ang mga botong protesta laban sa rehimeng Duterte. Hindi kapani-paniwala ang pagbaba ng boto ni Neri Colmenares, nangungunang progresibong kandidato sa pagkasenador, nang dalawang milyon. Noong 2016, ang alas niya ay ang kampanyang itaas ang pensyon sa SSS; ngayong eleksyon, ipinagpatuloy ang kampanya at dumagdag pa ang malakas na pag-endorso ng Simbahang Katoliko at maraming grupo. Naging bukambibig ngayong eleksyon si Colmenares.

Itinaguyod ng masa ang mga progresibong partylist sa kabila ng martial law sa Mindanao at halos katulad sa Negros, Samar at Bicol. Hindi kapani-paniwala ang pagbaba nang parehong 66 porsyento ng boto ng Gabriela at ACT Teachers, mga nangunang partylist ng 2016 at lumakas pa mula noon.

(5) Ngayon, gumugulong at lumalakas ang pagkondena at protesta sa pandaraya. Tatatak ito na isa na namang malaking krimen ni Duterte sa sambayanan, magpapahina at mag-aambag sa pagpapatalsik sa kanyang rehimen. Malapad ang hanay ng mga progresibong organisasyon, kabataan at taong-simbahan na nangunguna. Malakas ang hamon sa mga pulitiko na magsalita na agad laban sa dayaan at sa gayon ay kay Duterte.

Mababalik-tanawan ang mga instrumentong ginamit ng rehimen para sikaping magmukhang kapani-paniwala ang pandaraya. Mainam pa ba ang ganitong eleksyong automated sa 2022? Independyente ba talaga ang mga nangungunang sarbey? Hindi ba dapat usigin ng mga miyembro ng mga grupong relihiyoso ang pamunuan nila sa pakikipagsabwatan sa kasamaang ito? Paano mapapalakas ang kontra-midya na tuluy-tuloy at direktang kumakausap sa masa?

Syempre pa, krusyal ang papel ng mga mulat na mamamayang sa pagpukaw, pag-oorganisa at pagpapakilos sa masa laban sa rehimeng Duterte at para sa pagbabagong panlipunan. Madilim ang hinaharap sa ilalim ng rehimeng ito at nasa paglaban lang ang pag-asa, na mapapatalsik ito bago ang 2022 o sa mismong 2022. Sa panahong pinagdududa tayo sa masa, mas lalo tayong dapat magtiwala sa kanila at pumaroon sa piling at hanay nila.

Laban, bayan!

19 Mayo 2019

What can the government do to address the worsening state of Filipino workers?

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#MalalangEkonomiya #MayMagagawa #PeopleEconomics #BeyondElections2019 #LaborDay2019

Group challenges Senate: Stop Charter change

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Research group IBON is challenging the succeeding Senate to prove its independence by rejecting the proposal to amend the 1987 Philippine Constitution or Charter change (Cha-cha). Lawmakers should keep in mind the dangers that Cha-cha poses on Philippine economic sovereignty, said the group, and not be swayed into passing other laws that fulfill the consistent goal of Cha-cha to open the economy to full foreign participation.

In December last year, the Lower House transmitted its approved, consolidated version of proposed constitutional amendments, Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) 15, to the Philippine Senate. Aside from establishing a federal state and removing term limits, Cha-cha would implement neoliberal amendments to the Philippine constitution.

IBON said that while RBH 15 expires on June 30 this year, the Duterte government has sustained its espousal of Cha-cha by organizing an Inter-Agency Task Force on Federalism and Constitutional Reforms and can easily restart or expedite deliberations under an administration-dominated 18th Congress.

Partial unofficial tallies show a majority win for candidates backed by the Duterte administration, IBON noted. An administration win can bring standing Upper House support for Cha-cha to 11 comprised of incoming senators Bong Go, Ronald dela Rosa, Pia Cayetano, Imee Marcos, Francis Tolentino, Sonny Angara, Aquilino Pimentel III, Bong Revilla, plus incumbent senators Vicente Sotto III, Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Manny Pacquiao.

IBON stressed that Cha-cha would strike out the nationalist provisions of the constitution and liberalize the economy to foreign investors. Moreover, said the group, Cha-cha will limit government’s role in protecting the Philippine economy and allow foreign ownership of natural resources, educational institutions, mass media and advertising, public utilities, and strategic enterprises.

The proposed amendments also remove pertinent provisions affecting Philippine employment opportunities, labor rights, and access to basic social services.

Cha-cha would remove provisions on using the preferential use of Filipino labor and limiting professions to Filipinos, noted IBON. This will worsen the country’s jobs crisis. For instance, more Filipinos go abroad for work than new jobs are created locally. In the first semester of 2018, the average number of Filipinos who went abroad for work daily was 5,757, while only 2,263 new jobs were created on average per day during the same period, said IBON.

The group added that important stipulations on labor rights such as security of tenure, humane conditions of work, and a living wage, are deleted in the proposed Cha-cha. Already, IBON observed, 2018 data shows that 8.5 million workers of private companies and 985,000 workers in government agencies are still non-regular workers. Meanwhile, the Family Living Wage (FLW) as of March 2019 is at Php1,004 for a family of five compared to which the National Capital Region’s (NCR) minimum wage of Php537 falls short.

The proposed Cha-cha also narrows government’s role in providing basic social services such as health development and affordable housing by adhering to the neoliberal policy of privatization, IBON said.

The group further warned that proposals to open public utilities to full foreign ownership such as proposed amendments to the Public Services Act (PSA), and to increase areas that are open to foreign investments such as through revisions to the foreign investments negative list (FINL), are in the works and ground breaking the eventual neoliberalization of the highest law of the land. IBON said that legislative amendments such as these are being prioritized by government and will serve the same purpose of opening the economy for big business and foreign profit-seekers. Nationalists and people’s rights defenders among the country’s lawmakers, if there are any left standing, should be vigilant against these moves.

IBON pointed out that the midterm elections are fast concluding with incredible results that will be favorable to the Duterte administration’s neoliberal legislative agenda. The Filipino people have reason to doubt that the passage of Cha-cha and other laws surrendering national patrimony will not be as ‘magical’ as the election results, IBON added. This will be so unless nationalists and people’s rights advocates shall continue to challenge the Philippine legislature.###


Here we go again


By DEE AYROSO
(http://bulatlat.com)

The post Here we go again appeared first on Bulatlat.

Bishops challenge Duterte on alleged election manipulation

By Leslie Ann Aquino | Manila Bulletin

A fellowship of bishops on Saturday challenged President Duterte to disprove that he coerced and coopted the Commissions on Elections (Comelec) to manipulate the 2019 midterm election results to guarantee the victory of administration candidates.

“He must disprove that he coerced and coopted the Comelec to manipulate election results, as the breach in the transparency in the Smartmatic automated election system (AES) and the suspicious failure of Vote Counting Machines (VCM) are widely believed to be merely ploys to guarantee the victory of his administration’s candidates through wholesale election fraud,” the Ecumenical Bishops Forum said in a statement.

“We challenge President Duterte to answer accusations that he has engaged in, and tolerated electoral malpractices that will allow him to establish a political regime based on a concentration of power at his hands,” it further read.

“He must establish that the elections have been truly a democratic process, and that none has been disenfranchised with their essential right to suffrage and that their votes are honestly counted,” said EBF.

The group said President Duterte must also answer allegations that public funds were used to bribe voters and disbursements were made from the national coffers to obtain “political partisanship.”

“He must also answer for the actions of state forces on the harassment and intimidation of progressive candidates and partylist organizations during the election cycle. It does not only speak of election fraud but the abuse and misuse of state powers and national coffers as well,” EBF said.

As the country faces its worst economic and social crisis, and

Should President Duterte be proven to have systematically and maliciously committed fraudulent actions in the elections, the group said he must be rendered culpable for exacerbating rather than uplifting the state of the nation’s democracy from its present predicament.

“His failure to uphold the standards of electoral integrity will only strengthen the risk of democracy collapsing in our time which could have catastrophic consequences for everyone,” EBF said.

“May we remind President Duterte that any government that exercises power through fraudulent means has no moral basis; and should his government does not right its wrongs by itself, the Filipino people have the patriotic duty to do so for the preservation of our democracy,” the group added.

EBF is a the fellowship of bishops from the United Church of Christ (UCCP), United Methodist (UMC), Episcopal Church in the Philippines (ECP), Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI), and the Roman Catholic Churches in the Philippines. #MatalinongBoto2019

#LabanBayan | Groups protest against ‘rigged election’

People of all ages and different political color marched together to PICC in Pasay City to protest irregularities in May 13 elections. (Photo by Anne Marxze D. Umil/Bulatlat)

“They are wrong if they think that we will lose hope. More and more people will come to the streets again and call for the ouster of a puppet and fascist president.”

By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
Bulatlat.com

MANILA — “We will not concede!”

These were the words that resounded in front of the national canvassing center at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City (PICC) as Makabayan senatorial candidate Neri Colmenares addressed the crowd on the afternoon of May 17 during the Black Friday protest dubbed as #LabanBayan against electoral fraud.

Colmenares said defeat is acceptable if there was a fair and honest election. However, this year’s election was rigged.

(Photo by Anne Marxze D. Umil/Bulatlat)

They described it as the “dirtiest election” in the past four automated elections held in the country since 2010.

Thousands have joined the protest in PICC to add their voice to those who refuse to accept the results and conduct of the elections. Senatorial candidates Erin Tanada and Leody De Guzman were also present in the protest.

They said the elections maybe over but the fight is not.

Duterte used tax payers’ money against the opposition

Colmenares slammed the Duterte administration’s use of the government resources to defeat the opposition.

Even before the campaign period started, there were already television advertisements and posters of candidates endorsed by President Duterte in many areas. He slammed the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) inaction on the millions of overspending in television ads of the candidates of Hugpong ng Pagbabago.

Sr. Mary John Mananzan (center) ask the people to unite against looming dictatorship. (Photo by Anne Marxze D. Umil/Bulatlat)

Red-tagging against the Makabayan bloc was consistent. Members and leaders of party-list groups in provincial chapters were being killed if not, imprisoned due to trumped up charges. Opposition candidates were being implicated in a “matrix” to oust Duterte in a purported Red October plot, he said.

“The problem with President Duterte is that he vilifies and attacks the opposition using the presidential platform. How can the opposition survive if government resources are used against them?” he said.

But, he said, despite all the attacks, supporters did not waver in campaigning for the Makabayan party-list and senatorial candidate.

What inspires him more to continue the fight are the people that he met along the way telling him to continue the fight. He also commended the supporters who did not waver during the campaign despite the attacks.

Bayan’s Renato Reyes reading Sec. Salvador Panelo statement denying that President Duterte has something to do with the election results. People shouted boo. ((Photo by Anne Marxze D. Umil/Bulatlat)

“This is not just about us, this is about the right of the Filipino people to choose their leaders in society. That is why we must continue the fight because this is what the people are asking us to do,” he said.

‘Worst automated election ever’

Danilo Arao, convenor of Kontra Daya, said the problems in the conduct of the automated elections had worsened. He said the breakdown of vote counting machine this year surpassed the number of the machine breakdowns in 2010, 2013 and 2016. The voter registration verification machine’s pilot testing also caused trouble in the voting process than relief which only caused potential disenfranchisement of millions of the voting population.

He said per IT standards, the seven hours delay in the transmission of data to the transparency server would cost his job.

(Photo by Anne Marxze D. Umil/Bulatlat)

Despite the glaring flaws of this year’s automated system, the Comelec tried to downplay it and not address it.

Arao pointed out that one vote that is not counted should be a cause of concern. “It is our right. If our votes were not counted, we should be concerned,” he said.

Lawyer Aaron Pedrosa of Sanlakas also slammed Comelec for the recurring and worsening problems in the automated elections. He said their group will file a motion to suspend canvassing due to the unexplained seven-hour delay of transmitting data last May 13.

“This is not simple sourgraping. We know that if those senators would lead the country, there will be more human rights violations,” he said.

Makabayan party-lists win despite attacks

Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas said despite the attacks, the Makabayan bloc will still continue to represent the people in the next Congress.

Kabataan Party-list Rep. Sarah Elago denounce the moves of the administration to kick the Makabayan bloc out of Congress. (Photo by Anne Marxze D. Umil/Bulatlat)

“They did not win. We can still fight for the people in Congress,” she said.

There is only one reason why the government wants them out of Congress, to silence the people.

She said Makabayan has been consistent in serving as the voice of the people in Congress by opposing anti-people policies. They put forward bills that are for the benefit of the people such as the genuine agrarian reform bill, expanded maternity leave among others.

ACT Teachers’ Party Rep. France Castro said the campaign of zero votes of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte is also a failure because they still win a seat in the senate.

Meanwhile, Kabataan Party-list Rep. Sarah Elago said the youth will not stop in fighting for the youth and people’s rights despite the possibility of losing their seat in Congress. She said, the (government) badly wants them out of the legislative because they have strongly opposed the killings, human rights violations, martial law in Mindanao, Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion Law, the amendments of Human Security Act and lowering age of criminal responsibility and charter change.

(Photo by Anne Marxze D. Umil/Bulatlat)

“We stand against these while hundreds of those in Congress remain silent. There is blood in your hands and you are complicit in this dirty elections,” Elago said.

Raoul Manuel of Youth Act Now Against Tyranny said that this is only the beginning of more protests in the coming days.

“They are wrong if they think that we will lose hope. More and more people will come to the streets again and call for the ouster of a puppet and fascist president,” he said. (http://bulatlat.com)

 

 

 

 

The post #LabanBayan | Groups protest against ‘rigged election’ appeared first on Bulatlat.

Magic


By DEE AYROSO
(http://bulatlat.com)

The post Magic appeared first on Bulatlat.

What can the government do to address the worsening state of Filipino workers?

0

#MalalangEkonomiya #MayMagagawa #PeopleEconomics #BeyondElections2019 #LaborDay2019