YOUng says Gloria is threat to survival

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE Young Officers Union new generation (YOUng) has tagged President Arroyo, national security adviser Norberto Gonzales, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez and Speaker Jose de Venecia as threats to the survival of the country and the people.

In a statement dated Sept. 23, YOUng spokesman Lt. Col. Arsenio Alcantara said Arroyo "massively cheated in the last election to perpetuate her stolen presidency and covered up for it using public funds and dirty tricks."

"Corruption, immorality and greed for power dictated her presidency," said Alcantara.

Gonzales, who Alcantara described as a "crook and incompetent national security adviser," is being faulted by the shadowy military group for signing a contract with Venable LLP to lobby funds from the United States for AFP and charter change initiatives.

Alcantara said Bunye committed "ungentlemanly" conduct when he described retired military generals who clamor for Arroyo’s resignation as "too senile" and "too weak to walk."

"He should have resigned or at the very least apologize to the old warriors who have sacrificed and offered their life and limb in the service of country and people," said Alcantara.

Alcantara also lashed out at Bunye for "passing the buck" to the AFP for the "widely opposed political appointment" of Lt. Gen. Edilberto Adan to the Southern Command post.

"Poor AFP, the leadership allowed our beloved institution to be trampled upon, turned into a laughing stock and made a shock absorber of the fake president…" said Alcantara.

He traced the "insulting fiasco" to presidential spouse Mike Arroyo but did not elaborate.

"For Maj. Gen. (Samuel) Bagasin, it was a damage done that not even your appointment as the new deputy chief of staff could repair. You are too cowardly to offend your fake commander-in-chief," he said.

YOUng said Gonzalez has "rendered justice meaningless" while De Venecia and "some other members of Congress" were responsible the junking of the impeachment complaints against Arroyo.

Alcantara also labeled as threats a "few" generals and senior officers in the chain of command, who he did not name, for being a party to the election fraud and for acting as Arroyo’s "private security guards."

"Our country and our people continue to suffer because of them and their business supporters who are mostly smugglers, gambling lords, tax evaders and foreign gangsters dressed in expensive suits," said Alcantara.

Alcantara said YOUng kept it silence for the past weeks in the hope that "rule of law" would take its course. "But as expected it was just a stage show where the political actors showed their greed and corrupt practices."

"As we quietly assessed the political situation and honed our tactical preparedness in the past few weeks, we came to a conclusion that only by force, since they (government officials) do not want to give up their positions peacefully, can we settle the situation once and for all," said Alcantara.

Alcantara said his group has identified erring government officials for punishment "in the name of our people and our country."

"They will soon bear the wrath of our own people," he said.

YOUng gave the assurance it would respect the people’s right "after we defeat the Arroyo forces."

It said they are in constant touch with various sectors, including the academe, church, legal profession, media, business, labor, a few politicians and the Left.

"New leaders with vision, not ambition, will soon emerge in this country to help us charter new political, social and economic direction. Let no one doubt our resolve, for we have already burned our bridges to meet any resistance alone the way," he said.

De Venecia, in a statement, said he "will never sponsor any measure in Congress that will put the country under martial law."

De Venecia returned Saturday from a speaking tour in New York and Washington, D.C. to push his innovative debt-for-equity proposal to solve the crushing debt problem of the world’s 100 heavily-indebted middle-income nations.

He said he saw no justification for martial law and that a declaration of martial law would not pass Congress.

Guillermo Luz, executive director of the Makati Business Club, said the President’s threat to arrest protesters who stage illegal assemblies and a plan by the justice department to take over privately-owned public utilities and businesses affected with public interest in times of emergency are unmistakable signs that the country is moving toward martial law.

"Hindi talaga maiaalis sa tao ang pagdududa na may ganitong iniisip nga si Mrs. Arroyo," he said.

He said many businessmen could not understand the change from maximum tolerance stance on protest rallies to "preemptive calibrated response."

"Does it mean that the authorities will now go after people planning to stage rallies, since that is the meaning of preemptive?" he asked.

Luz said the move belied earlier claims by Malacañang that the President is now politically strong after weathering the proposed impeachment case at the House of Representatives.

"I don’t understand why they are so worried about the rallies. In the first place freedom of expression is guaranteed under our Constitution so why the change in policy?" he asked.

"It seems that the administration has forgotten the fact that it is also through rallies that it managed to gain power," Luz said, referring to Edsa 2001.

He said if the administration wants the rallies to stop, it should implement reforms and improve the delivery of basic services and governance, adding these are the underlying causes of the current political turmoil.

He added that taking over of industries would send a contradictory signal to the business community at a time when the country needs stability and clear policies.

"Who’s going to invest in our country with this kind of policies"? he said.

"While (Trade) Secretary. (Peter) Favila is inviting investors to come to the country, the DOJ is talking about takeovers," he said.

Former Sen. Francisco Tatad said the planned takeover of privately-owned public utilities and businesses affected with public interest is an official admission that the Arroyo regime is poised to declare "emergency rule."

"While Gonzalez says the government merely plans to take over privately owned public utilities and businesses affected with public interest, he has failed to point out that such takeover is possible only ‘in times of national emergency, when the public interest so requires.’ This means that if the planned takeover is not a mere money-making threat, a state of national emergency is now a certainty," Tatad said.

"Until we see it, we cannot say how the beast would look like. But if the so-called calibrated preemptive response to peaceful demonstrations is a sign of things to come, emergency rule will further trample on the rule of law and the people’s human and civil rights," Tatad said.

Tatad said the Arroyo regime was toying with the idea of declaring martial law, but was apparently "spooked by the premature leakage of the story and the massive public reaction against it."

"But emergency rule by an illegitimate President is still an unpleasant and unacceptable alternative," Tatad said.

The daughter of the late human rights lawyer and former Sen. Jose "Pepe" Diokno said were the latter alive, he would have acted quickly to denounce the alleged human rights violations under the Arroyo administration.

Maria Socorro Diokno of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) said her father would have used his lawyering skills to come up with possible legal actions against the administration.

"Sa kanya kasi, very important ang prinsipyo. Basta mali, mali. Kapag may mali, bato-bato sa langit ang tamaan, pero magsasalita siya," she said.

Diokno accepted the Human Rights Defenders Awards on behalf of her father who along with 13 others were hailed by the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) for their defense of human rights.

The late senator established FLAG which gives pro bono services to poor victims of human rights violations. He died of cancer on Feb. 27, 1987.

Diokno said the country is now faced with a government that "tries to respond (to criticisms) with an armed fist."

"Gusto pa ba natin bumalik sa martial law?" she asked.

Former Sen. Wigberto Tañada said that instead of attacking her critics, the President should first address human rights violations under her administration.

"Sila ba’y makapangyarihan at hindi sila maabot ng batas? Ganito na ba kahina at kabaluktot ang ating pamahalaan?" he said in accepting the TFDP award.

The TFDP, a human rights group established in 1974, has recorded 766 cases of human rights violations under the Arroyo administration, involving some 53,493 individuals and 30,469 families.

The rest of the awardees were Bishop Julio Xavier Labayen, human rights lawyer Vicente Balbuena, Virginia Barimbao-Arnejo, Sister Miriani Dimaranan, Sister Violeta Marcos, Purification Oracio-Viernes, Adona Orquillas, human rights lawyer Arbet Sta. Ana-Yongco and Prof. Enrique Dayson Torres.