COURAGE PARTYLIST FILES INTENT TO PARTICIPATE, PERSISTENT TO REVERSE COMELEC DISAPPROVAL

Submitted by courage_phil on Mon, 11/30/2009 - 23:03.

Accompanied by hundreds of its
members and supporters who are active government employees from the Departments
of Agriculture, Trade and Industry, Social Welfare and Development, Environment
and Natural Resources, Senate, National Food Authority and the National Housing
Authority, the leaders of COURAGE Partylist formally filed today the group’s Manifestation
of Intent to Participate as a sectoral partylist in the 2010 elections before
the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) despite pending decision on its Motion
for Reconsideration.

 

Mass actions in various COMELEC
offices nationwide were simultaneously held by COURAGE Partylist members from
different regions. Its National President Ferdinand Gaite reiterated that the
nationwide action was meant to pressure the COMELEC to reverse its initial
decision which barred their group in participating in the 2010 elections due to
an alleged lack of national constituency.

 

The militant partylist also urged the
COMELEC to prohibit ‘government fronts’ in joining the partylist elections in
2010. “The Arroyo government has made a mockery out of the Partylist System
which was borne out of the collective efforts of the Filipino people. The
marginalized sectors were in the forefront of the struggle that ended the
Marcos dictatorship and brought about the 1987 Constitution which included
provisions for the partylist system. Nakakalungkot
at nakakagalit lang na ang mga lumaban noon para magkaroon ng partylist system
ay siyang mga hindi pinapayagan ngayon na lumahok. Ironically, the COMELEC
has brazenly allowed the elite groups, who for so long have dominated the
political system, to freely join the partylist system. This is an outright
disrespect for the victory of the Filipino people. We hope that the COMELEC
revisits our history and think twice in letting bogus groups to profusely bastardize
the partylist system,” said Gaite.

 

Meanwhile, COURAGE Partylist scoffed
at Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who has formally announced her bid for a
congressional seat in the 2^nd district of Pampanga. Gaite claimed
that Arroyo is obviously trying to seek legal impunity after her term ends in
2010. “She knows that cases of graft, corruption, extrajudicial killings and
treason, which she has evaded in connivance with her allies in Congress during
her term, will continue to haunt her. We also took her announcement as a
re-affirmation of their evil plan to push for the Charter Change, her means to
perpetuate in power.  We appeal to the
people of Pampanga not to patronize her and guard their votes since Arroyo is
quite desperate to cling to power,” stated Gaite.

 

Gaite also emphasized that government
employees would join various sectors in campaigning for a clean and honest
elections in 2010. “It is not impossible that the Maguindanao case can happen
in a national scale. We need to be more vigilant as the election fever
escalates. Our group shall conduct a series of voters’ information campaign to
improve the awareness of our countrymen. We can only expect the people to
mobilize against massive fraud and election-related violence if they are
properly informed and educated,” added Gaite. 
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