Church-Labor Solidarity Network
c/o Southern Mindanao District Conference,
United Church of Christ in the Philippines
Brokenshire College
Davao City 8000
 

PRESS RELEASE                                                                             

March 14, 2008 

 
For Reference:
Fr. Benny Bacalso
Spokesperson, CLSN
Mobile No: 0919 799 9343
 
Enough of the Fraudulent and Corrupt President!
Stand for Truth, Justice and Meaningful Change!
                                                   
The Church Labor Solidarity Network (CLSN) is a network of  individual church people (priest, nuns, pastors, lay people, seminarians, church youth and women), ecumenical organizations, parishes and congregations, denominational or diocesan labor advocacy and social action programs, labor advocacy or research organizations, workers organizations and formations (unions, federations, coalitions, sentrong unyon).
 
The church people plays a vital role in supporting the struggles of workers to protect their basic rights as workers and as human beings to live with dignity, as mandated by the social creeds of all institutional churches.
 
Contrary to the claim of National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales that the "worst of the political crisis is over" for her President, church and multi-sectoral groups are not over yet in demanding the Arroyo government to account for multiple accounts of corruption, gross human rights violation and for bringing more economic hardships for the Filipino people.
 
Our protests will not be over until the worst thieves in power are held accountable for robbing the Filipinos of dignity and social well-being. Our protests are bound to continue as long as corruption from top to bottom inflicts injustice to our people.  
PCPR and Kasimbayan urge Filipinos to "commit ourselves to the calling of our nation: to seek truth, justice and deliverance from the sins of those in power," pertaining to the alleged corruption done by those who were involved in the controversial ZTE-NBN deal, being investigated in the Senate today.

"Our people are virtually in a state of unending fasting in the face of government neglect and corruption. Majority of Filipinos suffer the worsening economic crisis as the Arroyo family and all those who benefited from anomalous contracts have pocketed billions of pesos that could have provided decent housing, jobs, education and other basic services for the poor," Fr. Benny Bacalso, Spokesperson of ECLS said.

"As we remember the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, let us also remember the hundreds of our sisters and brothers who were persecuted, brutally killed and forcibly disappeared, as they stood up against the corruption and abuses of the Arroyo government," Fr. Benny Bacalso added.

In this season of Lent, let us have the courage to be set free from the sins of injustice, oppression, suppression and violence.  Let us claim our right for the truth.  Let us be in solidarity with those who risk their lives to bring significance to our own lives as a people, and to put pressure to this government to be truthful in its governance, respect the will of the people, and establish appropriate structures, not for their own interest, but for the common good. ###