Bayan Muna seeks “three-peat” as tribute for slain activists, dubs 2007 polls “a battle between new politics and worst trapos”
January 18th, 2007
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Two-time partylist topnotcher Bayan Muna today dubbed its third run for Congress a “tribute” in honor of 122 party members and leaders slain by death squads under the watch of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“This third run for Congress is for our heroes and all those who advance the cause of New Politics,” said Bayan Muna President and House Deputy Minority Leader Satur Ocampo at the party’s National Convention at the Quezon City Peforming Arts Theater, which will choose the party’s new officers and partylist nominees and prepare the party for the 2007 elections.

According to Ocampo, Bayan Muna will make its 2007 campaign “a battle between the politics of change and the worst kind of traditional politics, and between Bayan Muna’s brand of New Politics and the Arroyo government’s record of lying, cheating, stealing, and killing.”

“The assassination of Bayan Muna members and leaders by death squads under the command of a trapo president may have terrorized some for a time, but our party is in fact strengthened in the long run. The people positively view Bayan Muna as a courageous party, with no shortage of leaders ready to make the supreme sacrifice for their nationalist and democratic aspirations,” said Ocampo.

More than 1,000 delegates and observers are expected to pack Amoranto Multipurpose Hall for Bayan Muna’s national assembly, as well as scores of guests led by former Vice President Teofisto Guingona, members of the House and the Senate, and local executives including Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte.

The embassies of France and Japan, which were among the scores of countries critical of the Arroyo government’s human rights record, yesterday confirmed they are sending representatives to observe the Bayan Muna National Convention.

“We are confident that the people will continue to support us, because we remain committed to the causes of good governance, nationalism, and democracy,” said Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casino.

Casino said that “the people know that they can trust us with defending them from the abuses of the Arroyo administration, even to the extent that we partylist representatives ourselves were threatened with warrantless arrest and slapped with fabricated suits.”

Said Bayan Muna Rep. Joel Virador: “The party is determined to win the 2007 elections. We view it as a way of doing justice to our martyred members and leaders, and as a confirmation by the electorate of our record as partylist representatives elected on the basis of a patriotic and progressive program.”

Bayan Muna’s nominees for partylist representatives will be proclaimed at 5:00 pm, after celebratory opening ceremonies in the morning, and political discussions in the afternoon. ###