GMA'S DESPIDIDA!

From: GABRIELA Network Los Angeles
Location: In front of Philippine Consulate
3600 Wilshire Blvd.,Los Angeles,CA View Map
When: Monday, July 18, 5:00pm to 7:00pm

You are invited to bid fake Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Goodbye! Her corrupt and illegitimate leadership has burdened the Filipino people long enough. We call for a transition council to reflect the needs of the people and that will be truly representative of the various sectors of society, especially the marginalized. We say, “Goodbye Gloria!”

BRING YOUR PARTY HATS AND PROTEST PLACARDS!

In front of the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles
On Wilshire and Kingsley

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WOMEN'S GROUP GABRIELA NETWORK SAYS,
“GOODBYE, GLORIA!”


Election fraud is but one of the many reasons Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo must be relieved of her title and position.

The Arroyo regime has long been plagued not only with allegations of fraud but extreme graft and corruption. Not only is the president currently under scrutiny, but so are her husband and son, both of whom are embroiled in a jueteng (illegal gambling) scandal. The Philippine House of Representatives is currently in the process of launching an inquiry into “vote-rigging.” Beginning last month, the Senate is set to resume inquiries into allegations against GMA's brother-in-law and son accepting bribes from jueteng operators. Due to these allegations, her son, a member of Philippine Congress, has been forced to seek a leave of absence from his duties.

GMA's insincerity towards the Filipino people and her lack of capacity or interest to rule democratically have driven the Philippine economy into crisis and led Filipinos into further despair. The price of basic commodities such as food and utilities has continued to increase. GMA has not delivered on her promise to raise the minimum wage but rather has forced upon the people the value-added-tax (VAT), tripling the tax burden of the Filipino people. GMA has time and again stated her intent to export a million Filipinos every year, 65% women. In 2004, 650,000 Filipino women left the Philippines for work abroad. These and other policies are detrimental to Filipino women's welfare. Healthcare and social services for women and children are virtually non-existent. Only 1.26% of the national budget is allocated for health services, amounting to P135 or less than $3 per year per person. Meanwhile, GMA's government has allocated 32% of the 2005 national budget to paying the interest for government debt. These and the dire conditions of poverty continue to force women of the Philippines to sell their bodies, leave their families for work abroad, accept any kind of income opportunity, no matter how dangerous, in order to survive. Today, there are more than 800,000 prostituted women and children in the Philippines.

GMA's continuing support of the US so-called “war of terror” has given rise to countless human rights violations. Under GMA's watch 11 GABRIELA members and affiliates have been killed by her military; 32 political killings in just the first six months of 2005, plus many more missing; 13 journalists killed last year; 3 in the first quarter of 2005, making the Philippines the most dangerous country for members of the press. Amnesty International and other human rights organizations describe the Philippine situation as nearing martial-law proportions.

The Arroyo regime is highly aware of the growing distrust of her leadership that she is on the brink of declaring martial law. In anticipation of the vast number of actions targeted at urging her to step down, she has placed the entire Philippine National Police on full-alert to thwart “possible violence” during protests. These very actions confirm GMA's guilt. If these allegations of election tampering are found to be true, not only should it prove that she never received a clear and legal mandate to assume the office of the President, but must also subject her to prosecution as a criminal.

It would be wise for Gloria to bid her goodbyes and remove herself from the presidency. GABRIELA Network, a Philippine-US women's solidarity mass organization established in 1989, believes that the Filipino people are entitled to a leader who has achieved his/her position through legitimate means and has the genuine interest and well-being of the people in mind. ###