PRESS RELEASE
29 January 2012
"The nation has witnessed not only once but twice an evidently shameful fiasco shown by the ruling faction in Philippine politics."
This is the statement of militant urban poor group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) on the reported purchase of pirated DVDs in an ‘illegal market’ in QC by Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs and current Akbayan president Ronald Llamas, whom is group has referred to as its 'best and finest' offer to the government.
"More than saying a statement on the bankrupt ideology of the leadership of Akbayan, and of the Aquino government, we, in particular, are worried over the ineptitude of Presidential Political Adviser in handling the country’s internal political affairs," Gloria Arellano, Kadamay secretary-general said.
On the peace process
The militant group is very pessimistic that the ongoing peace negotiations between the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Government of the Philippines (GPH), in which Llamas as political adviser is an active participant, will not end the forty three years of Maoist insurgency in the country.
"Critical works related to the peace process should not be left on the hands of those who cannot even comprehend as simple as anti-piracy campaign and as intricate as the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) and Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG)," Arellano added.
The refusal of the GPH to release detained NDFP consultants and other individuals protected under the JASIG has been the major obstacle to the continuation of the peace talks.
According to the Kadamay, Llamas recent fiasco reminds them of top-general in the previous administration and now law-fugitive Jovito Palparan Jr. who admitted of not having knowledge on CARHRIHL.
"Gradually, this Akbayan-influenced, landlord-backed Aquino administration will unveil itself as no different from previous administrations which were inutile, if not directly responsible, in resolving the prevalent poverty that inflicts millions of Filipinos," Arellano stressed.
Real similarities
One of the similarities, according to the group, between Akbayan and the Aquino administration is their ‘sabotage’ of the achievement of a genuine agrarian reform program the country so much needs.
Akbayan-authored, and now Aquino's flagship program on agrarian reform, the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPEr) has never resolved the problem of landlessness in the countryside, while it has empowered landlords more to maintain their possession of vast lands including Hacienda Lusita in Tarlac.
The urban poor group pointed out that the faulty land reform program has greatly contributed to a high rate of urban migration and poverty in the country.###
Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay)
Militant Center of Urban Poor in the Philippines
Reference: Gloria Arellano, national secretary-general (0921.392.7457)
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