NEWS RELEASE
17 November 2007

For Reference: REP LIZA MAZA 0920-9134540; REP LUZ ILAGAN 0920-9213221

CASE SOLVED EVEN BEFORE IT STARTED

The women's partylist group that sustained a fatality and three
casualties in Tuesday's bombing of the Batasan complex said they were not at all convinced at the PNP's findings on the Batasan blast following the raid in Payatas, Quezon City.

"From day one of the investigation, it was clear that they already had a working theory that already discounted angles other than that it was perpetrated by Rep. Akbar's political rivals. It was a case of the conclusion coming before the evidence. The case was prejudged even before the blast," said Gabriela Women's Partylist Representative Liza Maza.

"A thorough and fairly decent investigation would at the very least
question eyewitnesses, identify vehicles caught on the Congress' south wing security camera, as well as its passengers. The PNP has done nothing in this investigation except issue statements and produce evidence to match their theory," said Maza.

For Representative Luz Ilagan who sustained a leg injury in the blast, "Everything appears so contrived, it's ridiculous. The manner with which they conducted their investigation is an insult. The PNP owes it to the victims and our families, as well as to the House of Representatives to have a decent, impartial and acceptable investigation on this tragedy." #

Download statement

News Release
November 14, 2007
For reference: Connie Bragas-Regalado, Chairperson (0927-215-7392)

Migrants’ group condemns Batasan bombing

An alliance of organizations composed of overseas Filipinos and their families today condemned the bombing at the Batasan Pambana last night and sympathized with those injured and killed. At the same time, Migrante International called for an independent probe and warned Malacanang against using the incident to justify repressive measures against the people.

“We condemn this latest reprehensible attack against innocent civilians. Given how this occurred in the wake of the botched investigation into the Glorietta bombing, we demand a comprehensive, independent and genuine probe into this unprecedented attack at the Batasan,” says Connie Bragas-Regalado, Migrante International Chairperson.

Bragas-Regalado added her group is especially concerned and alarmed because among those injured is staunch migrants’ advocate and Gabriela Women's Partylist Rep. Luz Ilagan while her driver, Marcial Tando is among the fatalities. Other GWP staff members were also hurt in the blast.

“The independent probe should include all stakeholders and must be open to pursuing all possibilities in this case. This means that the timing of the blast, the current political crisis and all other factors must be considered. In this light, conclusions about how Basilan Rep. Wahab Akhbar was the bomb’s target is premature and may even be another diversionary tactic,” she said.

“It simply cannot be discounted that in the Glorietta and Batasan Pambansa blast, the Arroyo administration benefits in a sense because both tragic events diverted public attention away from very damaging exposes linking Malacanang to the ZTE deal and bribery issues among others,” added Bragas-Regalado, noting how even the impeachment process remains a threat despite attempts by administration solons to quash it in Congress.

“We commit to pursuing justice for the victims and we warn Gloria anew that instead of silencing the people, these events intensify further our commitment to expose and oust her anti-people and fascist regime,” she said.

Later this evening, Migrante International will join the BAYAN-led activity at the Quezon Memorial Circle to denounce the bombing and call for justice for the victims. #

PRESS RELEASE
Information Bureau
Communist Party of the Philippines

Arroyo regime highly suspected of concealing truth

in Batasan and Glorietta blasts--CPP
November 17, 2007

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today said that the facts behind the Batasan Pambansa bombing in November 13 and the October 19 Glorietta Mall blast will never be known under the Arroyo regime.

CPP spokesperson Gregorio "Ka Roger"Rosal said "the Philippine National Police has zero credibility in carrying out impartial investigations of those blasts. It serves as an instrument of the Arroyo regime which the Filipino people widely regard as having masterminded such dastardly acts, creating scenarios, twisting the facts and concealing the truth."

Rosal said that deep and widespread suspicions about the cover-up of the Arroyo regime's hand behind the Glorietta Mall blast carry over to similar suspicions of another cover-up of the Batasan bombing.

"People are highly suspicious that the police raid of a supposed Abu Sayyaf hide-out in Payatas, Quezon City was actually a setup, those killed and arrested mere scapegoats or actually fallguys who worked as agents of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)," Rosal said. "There is widespread doubt that the 'evidence' was actually in the possession of the military and police and planted to mislead the public and hide the hand of the real bombers," Rosal said.

The CPP spokesperson aired widespread suspicions of "all-too-perfect coincidences" over the PNP's claim of recovering so-called pieces of evidence from the Payatas raid including the deed of sale of the motorcycle used in the bombing, #8 plate numbers and Congressional staff t-shirts. According to the PNP itself, the raid was carried out originally for an earlier unrelated case.

"From the start, the PNP has been insisting that the Batasan bombing targeted only Congressman Wahab Akbar, one of four people killed, and was motivated by mere political rivalry or vengeance," added Rosal.

"There now seems to be a dogged and concerted effort by Malacanang and Camp Aguinaldo to prove that the bombing targeted only Akbar in order to dismiss assertions that it was actually carried out to target some progressive members of congress and/or was carried out with the general political aim of terrorizing the people."

Reference:
Marco Valbuena
Media Officer
Cellphone Numbers: 09179776392 :: 09282242061
E-mail:cppmedia@gmail.com
 

◄◄◄ Mayang, the widow and the funeral hearse carrying her husband's mortal remains

Salute to Ka Marcial Tibong Taldo

Tribute from a co-worker

"He was a competent and very careful driver with an aura that seemed to come from a person with intense feeling of being one with the people for a positive change in society."

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

I thank GWP secretariat for the short introduction about Tibong, the first casualty in the Batasan Pambansa bombing. It is so unfortunate and painful to bear that Tibong had to die only to be in the list of collateral damages.

I had recent vivid memories of Tibong as he was the driver of the Save the Children (UK) Philippine Office. As a consultant, I was in the human resource pool of Save the Children from 2000-2003. He used to bring me from Save the Children function sites to CWR dorm (where occasionally I stay overnight in between meetings) and vice-versa. He was a competent and very careful driver with an aura that seemed to come from a person with intense feeling of being one with the people for a positive change in society.

My daughter, Wisa (who was then 13 years old in 2001), likes him so much when he offered her to be an instant tour guide while I was attending a conference in Tagaytay. Wisa was teary-eyed seeing Tibong's face flashed in the TV newscasts.

But the most significant of all was his political involvement in Davao City. I heard a lot of his tasks so favorable to the growth and development of urban poor organizing in the city. I knew he was one of those, in his own way, who contributed to the birth of ALBAKA- Alyansa Batok sa Kawad-on (Alliance against Poverty). ALBAKA set the pace of the urban mass movement in the city having dynamic leaders in its fold, no less than, Tibong's mother -in-law.

I salute Tibong for making himself visible in the women's movement even as he dared to combine roles as household management partner, husband, father, family provider and support service to advance the people's cause - human rights and social justice.

Mae Fe Ancheta-Templa
GNET-DAVAO
Vice-Chair, WSRC Board of Trustees

Download CengPEG Issue Analysis No. 21 - The Credibility Factor

Related webpages:

■   BAYAN and Gabriela lead candle lighting and torch rally, condemn Batasan bombing and call for an independent probe, November 14, 2007

■   Fil-Ams demand independent probe of Batasan bombing, Nov. 15, 2007 

The family that Ka Marcial left behind to carry on the work for human rights and social justice

News Release

November 15, 2007

Stop Terror Scare!

HK’s Gabriela condemns Batasan bombing

Members of Gabriela Women’s Party Hong Kong strongly denounced in a statement the November 12 bombing of the Batasang Pambansa, or House of Philippine Congress.

As they expressed sympathies for the families of those who died in the blast, they demanded a swift yet genuinely independent probe into the incident.

“We are gravely concerned because the OFW’s champion and representative in Congress, Luz Ilagan was one of those who got hurt, while her driver Marcial Tando died on the spot,” said GWP-HK chairperson Cynthia Abdon-Tellez. “As it is difficult to pinpoint the Batasan bombing as political, it is rash and unwise for House speaker Joe De Venecia and other politicians to state that it was a terror attack.”

Abdon-Tellez slammed the politicians’ statements, stating that these can be used to sow terror among the people and legitimize the full implementation of the unpopular Human Security Act.

In the light of the “terror scare”, Abdon-Tellez likewise condemned the take-over by the Special Action Force police of the Senate grounds stating it was “reckless and unnecessary”.

How can one trust the police, she added, when they have failed in securing the House of Congress or are going nowhere in the investigation of the Glorietta 2 bombing?

“It is hard to feel safe under this administration,” she averred, referring to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s term. “Beyond circumstantial are these bombing incidents when both have occurred in the middle of a grave political fiasco involving Mrs. Arroyo and her family.”

“In the face of the controversial ZTE broadband deal, the bribery cases and the now-junked impeachment rap against Arroyo, one just cannot help but wonder if these bombings are just aimed to divert the people’s attention from the bigger issues. One way or the other, she (Arroyo) is the only one who benefits from it,” she concluded.

Aside from complete remuneration, the GWP-HK demands justice for the victims of the Batasan bombing.

Reference:

Cynthia Abdon-Tellez

GWP-HK Chairperson

Contact No. 97409406

Statement
National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada (NAPWC)

National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada

Condemns Congress Blast

The National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada strongly condemns the blast that hit the House of Representatives, Tuesday night. We join in the call of Gabriela Women's Party, and the people’s organizations under BAYAN-Philippines, in demanding an independent investigation be conducted immediately and that perpetrators are brought to justice.

This serious incident emphasizes for our Filipino kababayans abroad that the chronic political crisis in the Philippines is worsening under the cuurent US-Arroyo regime.

We recall that just over one year ago, Gabriela Representative Liza Maza along with the other ‘Batasan 6’ elected representatives were detained in the House of Representatives for two months threatened with arrest for baseless rebellion charges.

We are aware that the blast left at least four dead, including Marcial Taldo, driver and staff of Gabriela Representative Luz Ilagan, Basilan Rep. Whab Akbar and Maan Abustanilo, staff of Negros Oriental Rep. Henry Teves and Julasiri Hayudini, staff of Rep. Akbar. We send our deepest condolences to their families.

We also know that Rep. Ilagan suffered a wound in her right thigh, and abrasions on her back, neck and face while Mr. Ismael Lim, driver and staff of Gabriela Rep. Liza Maza was wounded in the abdomen, arm and nape. We hope for their quick recovery.
 

As overseas Filipino women, we hope that a thorough investigation will be conducted, to properly analyze what were the motives and who were the targets in such an attack. While early pronouncements have been stating that the target was Rep. Akbar, we join the call to determine whether the blast was also aimed at Rep. Ilagan, a known Arroyo critic and staunch migrant worker advocate, or if the blast was a diversionary tactic to cover up the impeachment issue and the Senate probe on the distribution of cash gifts to congressmen and governors at Malacañang Palace on Oct. 11.


We join BAYAN in the call on the Arroyo government, not to use this tragedy as an excuse to further curtail civil liberties, or justify the use of emergency measures and the declaration of martial law in the Philippines. We also guard against the incident being used as a justification for further military intervention by the US under the guise of the “war on terror.”


We stand side-by-side with Gabriela Women's Party and the movement in the Philippines, and will not allow actions such as this, to intimidate nor deter us in the struggle for Filipino women's liberation and the liberation of the Filipino people!
--
Philippine Women Centre of British Columbia
Member of the National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada (NAPWC)
c/o Kalayaan Centre, 451 Powell Street, Vancouver, B.C., V6A 1G7
Phone: 604.215.1103 | Fax: 604.215.1905 | Web: http://www.kalayaancentre.net/pwcofbckc10yr.gif

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