Party-list leaders: Govt out to cripple us

The continuing extrajudicial and political killings of progressive party-list are meant ensure the defeat of incumbent progressive party-lists congressmen in the May elections, militant lawmakers said Tuesday.

Crispin Beltran of Anakpawis and Teodoro Teddy Casiño of Bayan Muna voiced their concern as they condemned the killing last Sunday of Rodolfo Alvarado, a regional coordinator of Bayan Muna in Bicol, a potential candidate in the House of Representatives.

Beltran, who is detained on rebellion charges, chided the Arroyo government for tolerating the “bloody extermination” of leaders, members and sympathizers of the progressive party-lists so as to ensure that the party-lists will have no representatives in the Fourteenth Congress.

Beltran said it was no secret that the progressive party-lists have begun preparing for the elections even as they continue to participate in civil society campaigns such as that against Charter change.

“This is the end-goal of the administration’s bloody campaign. Since the likes of National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales and Justice secretary Raul Gonzalez have failed to convince the public into believing their black propaganda against Bayan Muna, Anakpawis and Gabriela, the government through the AFP have taken to liquidating the members and grassroots leaders of the progressive party-lists. They aim to discourage us from participating in the May 2007 elections and to sow fear among our supporters,” Beltran noted. “They will be disappointed.”

He stressed that during the campaign season, progressive party-lists not only campaign for themselves, but are also active in exposing electoral anomalies and incidents of fraud, as well as abuses being perpetrated by members of the military and the hired thugs of corrupt traditional politicians.

“The government is committing slow genocide by targeting the progressive party-lists and their allied people’s organizations. For every human-rights advocate and political activist gunned down, there are at least five more other victims—their loved ones including children and other members of their immediate family,” he said.

As the elections near, Casiño is certain more human-rights activists and members of people’s groups and the progressive party-lists will be put in the line of fire.

Beltran added the Arroyo government tries to justify the political killings as part of the anti-insurgency campaign. “But it has already been exposed and established that this campaign is actually targeting unarmed civilians, noncombatants. None of the perpetrators have been apprehended...” Maricel Cruz