2003: DISSENT IN THE PHILIPPINES IS ESCALATING report by: jong pairez
(IMC-Philippines)
MANILA, Philippines. As the poverty stricken local economy is getting worse
as the war in Iraq had started to take effect by having seen the prices of
basic commodities rising up in the sky, the local people cannot help
themselves but to sow dissent among major cities in the country to protest
this kind of phenomena.
Spontaneous as well as organized protest actions have been occuring since
before the first U.S. military strikes in Baghdad, Iraq. These actions was
triggered by the plunging of the local currency into the verge of defeat
against the dollar. In the western part of the Philippine archipelago- the
visayas, local public transport jeepneys staged a three day strike that
paralyzed the city, to protest the sky-rocketing prices of gasoline. In the
central capital part of the Philippines, around 10,000 of various sectors
(farmers, workers, students, church peoples, urban poor communities and
childrens)staged a demonstration infront of the U.S. embassy in Manila on
March 22.
Meanwhile, two days before the M22 large local protest in the metropolis,
urban poor community activists staged a direct action protest by throwing
red paint bombs at the U.S. embassy aiming for the target of the U.S. seal.
Dispersal became violent when the local police retaliated against the
symbolical protest action by the local urban poor community people.
Fortunately, none of them was arrested because they quickly escaped the
police fascist wrath.
Handful of protest actions in various ways have also been seen around the
metropolis after the M22 demonstration. Right now, PEACECAMP- a coalition
of local activist orgs advocating peace and justice is planning a more
bigger demonstration that is going to happen this coming April 1, 2003.
This huge demonstration will pressure the Government to withdraw their
support on the U.S.-led coalition of the willing. Also, the demonstration
will also push the government to take deed of their obligation to give the
Filipino people the genuine services that they deserve e.g. water,
electricity, food, etc. instead of wasting their time and effort in
supporting the U.S. led war in Iraq.
The demonstarion will also demand the government to STOP the militarization
in the countrysides, they also call for aborting the governments local war
campaign against the Moro Islamic Libeation Front (MILF)at the southern
part of the Philippines.#
