[from Balitanghali]

original link HERE

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Reference: Mai Uichanco, Deputy Secretary-General, 09277619716

Students from state colleges and universities and private schools declared September 22 as a day of planking against budget cuts on education, health and basic social services. Despite the resounding opposition of certain legislators regarding hazards of planking, what is more hazardous to the youth is the continuous neglect of the Aquino government in providing substantial budget for basic social services. The students from the University of the Philippines Diliman, Manila, Miag-ao campus in Visayas and Mindanao, students from EARIST planked around noon at Mendiola as part of their respective strikes against Aquino’s budget cuts. Campuses in Lanao, Mindanao State University main campus, Iligan Institute of Technology and other campuses also set to stage simultaneous planking protests around 4:30 pm.###

UPDATE (As of 9:30 pm)
    

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Libu-libong estudyante, opisyal, guro, at kawani ng Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) ang nagwalk-out sa eskuwelahan kanina para igiit ang dagdag na budget para sa pamantasan.

Nasa P735 million lang kasi ang nakalaan para sa PUP sa susunod na taon, na wala pang kalahati sa kanilang mungkahing P2 billion na budget.

Dahil sa kakulangan sa pondo, taun-taon daw ay nasa bingit ng alanganin ang PUP.

“Ang turing kasi ng ating gobyerno sa edukasyon ay isa na lamang pribilehiyo. Nanininiwala tayo na ang edukasyon ay basic right ng isang tao na dapat ay binibigay sa kahit anong level,” sabi ni Rommel Aguilar, PUP student regent.

Sa UP Diliman, nagsagawa ng “freeze mobilization” ang mga estudyante bilang protesta sa napipintong budget cut ng unibersidad.

Dinaan naman sa sayaw ng mga mag-aaral sa UP Manila ang kanilang panawagan.

Malaki raw ang epekto sa kanila ng budget cut lalo’t makakaltasan din ang panggastos ng UP-PGH, na inaasahang ospital ng marami.

“Puno ng talento ang mga kabataan, pero bakit ‘yung mismong gobyerno ayaw sila pag-aralin?” sabi ni Cleve Arguelles, vice chairperson ng UP Manila student council.

Nakatakda naman ang sama-samang protesta ng mga estudyante mula sa iba’t-ibang unibersidad at kolehiyo sa darating na Biyernes. Atom Araullo, Patrol ng Pilipino

09/20/2011 10:07 PM

(see full story+video HERE)

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(see full story HERE)

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AUGUST 29, 2011

LFS calls for the immediate release of 3 UP students illegally arrested in Cebu

Reference:

Jed Bautista, 09329138187

The League of Filipino Students calls for the immediate release of 3 University of the Philippines Cebu students who were illegally arrested and are currently detained in Philippine National Police Precincts in Toledo City and Pinamongajan.

Melanie Montano, a member of the League of Filipino Students UP Cebu chapter; Remy Jade Manzon, a member of KARATULA UP Cebu chapter, and Januelle Rontos of the Nagkakaisang Kusog ng mga Estudyante, a political party in UP Cebu were arrested while elements of the Philippine National Police violently dispersed a protest camp of peasants in Sitio Camarin, Brgy Bonbon, Aloguinsan, Cebu. The students were there for an immersion program, joining the campaign against land grabbing allegedly led by the powerful corporate family of the Aboitizes, to convert the 168 HA of land into a shipyard and a special economic zone.

At around 5:30 in the morning, a 300-strong group of PNP units and SWAT elements coming from 5 municipalities in the area, including Aloguinsan, roused the sleeping camp saying they have an order to arrest everyone who was staying at the camp. By 10 am, the 3 students, with peasants and youth, were arrested and brought to the custody of Toleda City Jail and Pinamongajan Municipal precinct.

The League of Filipino Students is fuming over this recent blatant violation of the people’s human right, another manifestation of whose interest the government is serving. The peasants of Sitio Camarin have all the right to defend their land, more so continue to till it, but elements of the government’s defense, the Philippine National Police became the principal ushers of the ruling few in stepping on the right of the peasants to the land and their right to peaceably assemble for redress of grievances.

This incident soundly fit the framework of the Aquino regime, putting first the few’s interest for more profit, in this case the filthy rich Aboitizes, over the land and lives of the 200 families whose ancestors have tilled the land.

All over the country, hundreds of thousands of peasant families experience the same fate, to be betrayed by their own government in pursuit of greater profit for the ruling elite and foreign corporations. This mirrors Aquino’s skewed agrarian reform policy or the CARPER.

While the Aquino government and its whole machinery continue to use force and the people’s money to quash the rights and interests of the people, thousands upon thousands of youth and students will continue to join the peasant’s fight for genuine land reform and the people’s fight for a government that will truly serve its interests.

IMMEDIATELY RELEASE MELANIE MONTANIO, REMY JADE MANZON, JANUELLE RONTOS!

GENUINE LAND REFORM, NOW!

FIGHT THE FASCIST AND ANTI-PEOPLE AQUINO REGIME AND ITS COHORTS! ###

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AUGUST 25, 2011

Students condemn violet dispersal of anti-budget cut rally

Will file charges; stage more massive protests, strikes and boycotts

Reference: Aki Merced, 09322537600

“Our demand is for Congressmen inside that building to reverse the anti-people budget proposed by Aquino. We get violence instead.”

This was the statement of Aki Merced, spokesperson for the League of Filipino Students, as more than 20 protesters were injured in a multi-sectoral protest joined by youth, migrants, health workers and urban poor today against budget cuts in social services.

“We were in the middle of our program in front of the House of Representatives when the police from QC station 10 and security units of the HOR assaulted us. Of course the people were angry, they were hitting us with metal rods and blasting us with water from a fire truck.”, Merced said.

Merced said that LFS together with other groups is preparing to file cases against the QCPD station 6 Chief and the head of security of the HOR.

“Some were poked in the eyes with blunt objects, some got seriously hurt because the police hit them with wooden rods that had metal inside. Ironically, among our demands is to augment the health budget. We probably won’t be able to afford getting medical attention as most public hospital services are privatized now.”

Merced said that some of the injured protesters were brought to the UP Health Service in UP Diliman.

“The fight is definitely on against budget cuts in social services. Expect larger protests, boycotts and strikes in the weeks to come. With the Congress reacting the way they did, we have no choice but to take our demands to the streets.”, Merced said. ###

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SONA: Kalagayan ng bayan sa Isang taon ni Aquino

June

Nanalo si Noynoy Aquino sa eleksyon. Ang kanyang mga pangako: ibabangon ang bayan, pupuksain ang korapsyon, bibigyang solusyon ang kahirapan, serbisyo para sa lahat. Ginhawa para sa bayan, at pagpapanagot sa siyam na taong pahirap ni Arroyo.

JULY: Unang SONA

Sinabing ang pangunahing pamamaraan ng pagbabangon sa bayan mula sa kahirapan ay ang PPP o Private Public Partnerships. Ipipribatisa ang mga serbisyo, dahil mas episyente diumano magpatakbo ang mga negosyante.

August: Hacienda Luisita Compromise Agreement

Sa halip na lupa, inalok ng mga titulong papel ang 10,000 manggagawang bukid sa sariling Hacienda Luisita ng pamilyang Cojuangco Aquino. Maaalalang pitong manggagawang bukid ang pinaslang sa Hacienda noong 2004, hanggang ngayon ay walang hustisya, at ang kanilang mga pamilya, wala pa ring lupa.

September: Budget cut sa mga serbisyong panlipunan

Tig isang bilyon ang kaltas sa budget ng State Universities and Colleges, at serbisyong pangkalusugan. 29 bilyong piso naman ang nakalaan para sa CCT (Conditional Cash Transfer Program) na imbis na pondohan ang agrikultura at suportahan ang local na industriya upang lumikha ng trabaho sa lahat ay nagbibigay ng limos sa mamamayan.

Prayoridad ni Aquino sa budget: suportahan ang pribatisasyon, dagdag imprastruktura para umakit ng mga dayuhang mamumuhunan, bayad-utang.

Sa parehong buwan din ang unang State Visit ni Aquino sa United States. Kumain siya sa hotdog stand para ipakita ang pagkakaiba niya maluhong imahen ng nakaraang administrasyon. Anibersaryo din ng pagpapatalsik sa base ng mga Amerikano sa Subic at dalawang buwan pagkatapos ipangako ang pagrerepaso sa Visiting Forces Agreement ay libo-libong sundalong kano pa din ang labas-masok sa bansa.

October: K+12, pahirap sa bayan, pabor sa dayuhan

Inanunsyo ang pagpapatupad ng K+12 o dagdag dalawang taon at pagpapasok ng mga technical and vocational courses sa basic education. Sinalubong ng mariing pagtutol ng mga high school students at mamamayan sa buong bansa. Ito’y dagdag pahirap! At isa pa’y, milyun-milyong silya at daanlibong silid-aralan pa ang kakulangan, sa sampung taon pa lang.

November: Pambansang strike laban sa budget cuts sa edukasyon

Libo-libong kabataan, kaguruan at mga administrador ang sumugod sa Mendiola at nagsagawa ng mga strike sa kanikanilang mga paaralan para labanan ang pagkaltas ni Aquino sa budget sa edukasyon at pagpapalobo naman ng budget para sa military, pork barrel at utang panlabas. Sinagot ito ni Aquino at ni Budget Secretary Abad ng mga kasinungalingan. Hindi napigilan ang galit ng libolibong mamamayan at pagdating ng December 1, sinugod na ang Senado.

January: bili ng Porsche, sunod-sunod na pagtaas

New Year. Regalo ni Aquino sa sarili: Porsche. Regalo niya sa mamamayan: sunud sunod na pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin, presyo ng langis at pamasahe.

February: Pag-gunita sa EDSA I

Tampok ang mga magulang ni Noynoy Aquino at ang lumalakas na paglaban sa patong-patong na pahirap ni Aquino sa mamamayan. Sa gitna ng pagtaas ng presyo ng langis na umaabot na P11/litro, wala pa ring aksyon mula kay Aquino. Umiinit na din ang impeachment case laban kay Ombudsman Merci Guttierez na isinampa ng League of Filipino Students, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan at iba pang organisasyon.

April: maliitang subsidyo, sunud-sunod na demolisyon

Umaksyon na si Noynoy sa pagtaas ng presyo ng langis: Pantawid Pasada. Napikon ang maraming jeepney driver dahil walang talab ito sa hindi mapigilang sunud-sunod na pagtaas ng pamasahe.

Tulad ng demolisyon sa San Roque ng Setyembre ng nakaraang taon, sunod-sunod na ang pagiisyu ng demolition notice sa buong bansa. Tinatayang 500,000 na pamilya ang target na tanggalan ng tahanan bago magpasukan.

May: Mayo Uno, nagpapatawang dagdag sahod mula kay Aquino

Halos 100,000 mamamayan ang nagprotesta sa lansangan noong Mayo Uno at nananawagan ng pagbababa ng presyo at P125 pagtataas ng sahod sa buong bansa. Ang naging sagot ni Aquino: P22. Ni hindi makakabili ng isang kilong bigas.

June: Dismayado ang mamamayan

Isang taon makaraan ang pag-upo ni Aquino sa Malakanyang, hindi maitago ang pagkadismaya ng mamamayan. 7.93 milyong kabataan ang hindi nakakapag-aral. 24.6 milyong Pilipino ang gutom araw-araw. 11.3 milyon ang Pilipino walang trabaho. 0 kaso ang naisampa kay Arroyo. 700 permanenteng US troops at madami pang hindi nakatala.

Sa darating na July 25, bibigkas na naman si Aquino ng talumpating puno ng kasinungalingan. Sa kanyang State Of the Nation Address, siguradong sasabihin niya ang kanyang mga nagawa, na tayo ang kanyang boss, at umuunlad ang bayan. Ngunit ramdam natin ang katotohanan. Tumitindi ang krisis at walang pagbabago sa ilalim ng isang taon ni Aquino.

Sa darating na July 25, libo-libo tayong magmamartsa patungong Batasan at ipapahayag ang tunay na kalagayan ng mamamayan.

SA JULY 25, SAMA-SAMA TAYO SA SONA NG BAYAN!

(Maaaring i-download ang statement sa downloads section o sa link na ito. I-download at palaganapin!)

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It is one thing to support the struggle for freedom and democracy of an oppressed people, and another to make another Iraq.

In the case of Libya, the United States and its allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) had again reared their bloodied imperialist heads in their shameless campaign to divest the Libyan people of their petroleum and gas reserves, and other natural resources.

The US-NATO coalition forces are clearly exploiting the legitimate grievances of the Libyan people for greater freedom and democracy.

In a single air strike, the US-NATO coalition forces had unleashed avalanche upon avalanche of bombs and missiles into the heart of Libyan territory, effectively destroying the military capabilities of the Libyan people to withstand any external armed attack by the US and NATO.

This is being done in the guise of implementing an UN-approved no-fly zone across the entire stretch of Libyan territory. Such implementation of a no-fly zone is clearly in severe breach of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Libyan people, and tantamount to an unequivocal military aggression by the UN, US and NATO coalition forces into Libyan soil.

The imposition of a no-fly zone upon a sovereign state by imperialist nations, even by the United Nations constitutes a crippling of the inherent right to self-determination of such state and an intervention into its internal affairs, both of which are violations of international law.

Moreover, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) had clearly exposed its pro-imperialist moorings when it passed a resolution giving the imperialist nations free rein to do all means necessary, including military action under the pretext of preventing Col. Gadhafi from ordering further attacks against Libyan civilians.

What is not being stated, however, is that such imprimatur by the United Nations is the only international law directive being awaited by the US and NATO imperialists to engage in an out-and-out military aggression against the Libyan people, and lay claim into large swaths of Libyan territory where massive petroleum and gas reserves are to be found.

The US-NATO airstrikes are nothing but the commencement of a war of aggression by imperialists against an independent and sovereign nation, as it had done in Iraq in 2003, and in all other nations on which imperialists had scrambled to decimate the sovereignty of a nation and push it into perpetual political and economic subjugation.

Thus far, the US-NATO coalition forces are not merely targeting military installations but political institutions as well, including the residence of Col. Gadhafi. This fully pierces all pretensions by the US-NATO aggressors that the defense of Libyan civilians is its absolute objective in undertaking military action.

At the same time, the US-NATO imperialist aggressors are paving the way for the creation and legitimization of local Libyan allies who are both reactionary and pro-imperialists, as seen now in the hoisting of the flag of the old pro-imperialist and decimated Kingdom of Libya in rebel strongholds.

At its core, the war aggression being commenced by the US-NATO imperialists has as its ultimate objective the control and exploitation of Libyan petroleum, gas, and mineral resources, all of which had been deprived from imperialists powers as Libya under Gadhafi pursued an independent and anti-imperialist foreign and economic policy in the last forty years.

We call on all freedom- and peace-loving students and peoples of the world to unite against the war of aggression of the US-NATO coalition forces against Libya. We cannot allow another Iraq in the Middle East and the world.

We cannot allow the imperialists to exploit the democratic aspirations of the Libyan people and pursue their imperialist agenda of political and economic subjugation.

Many times over, the peoples of the world have won against the wars of aggression of the imperialists – in the mountains of Yenan and Sierra Maestra, in the plains and swamps of River Mekong, in the street battles and insurrections in Tehran and Moscow, and in all arenas of militant struggle of the peoples of the world committed to the defeat of imperialism.

In this new struggle in the deserts of Tripoli and Benghazi, we are certain that the Libyan people shall likewise be triumphant. And the students and the peoples of the world shall be with them, at this time of great difficulty until their complete victory.

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This was the statement of the League of Filipino Students National Chairperson Terry Ridon in the midst of impending transport fare hikes, particularly the MRT and LRT fare hikes which will take effect early March.

“Despite the Aquino administration’s skewed reasoning behind the MRT and LRT fare hikes, it is unquestionable that it is the onerous contracts which the government entered with big businesses that led to the impending hikes. The government is taking the people’s money and puts it in the safes of local and international big business and banks. Just like Robinhood, but for the rich.“

Ridon pointed out that the government assured the MRT Corporation a whopping 15% yearly return-on-investment with sovereign guarantee under the 25 year ‘build-lease-transfer’ contract for the MRT.  He added that this is apart from the $2 million the government pays the Japanese-owned TES Philippines monthly for the maintenance of the railways.

“This means that whether the MRT earns or loses money, the government is forced to pay MRT Corp. and a local subsidiary of the top Japanese corporation Sumitomo, TES Philippines. Where else will the government get this money? Of course, by incurring debt. And in the national budget, the allocation for debt payment displaces the funding for social services. This is how the government robs the people through Private-Public Partnerships (PPPs).”

Ridon continues that the government does this not only through the appropriations on the national budget, but now directly from the people’s wage and income through the impending hikes.

“Aquino tries to use trickery by propaganda, but swiftly his real beneficiaries are revealed. Aquino’s pledge to intensify Private-Public Partnerships shows how hell bent he is on pulling off more stealing escapades for the rich.“, RIdon said.###

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On Noy’s first 100 days as president
Youth to Noynoy: ‘you failed’

Members of the League of Filipino Students (LFS), Anakbayan, Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP), Kabataang Artista para sa Tunay na Kalayaan (KARATULA), National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) and College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) joined today member organizations of BAYAN in a protest march to Mendiola in assessment of Noynoy’s first 100 days.

“We listened attentively to all his promises and watched closely all his actions. It’s clear he failed his first 100 days.”, said Einstein Recedes, NUSP President.

Recedes said that Noynoy filled Filipinos with so much hope during his campaign and inauguration, but did not follow through. He said that in just a short span of time, a lot of Filipinos are getting disillusioned.

“His SONA fell short of our expectations, but even the small promises during his SONA he wasn’t able to make. He mentioned education and OFW welfare among his priorities, but budgets for both were seriously slashed.”

Meanwhile, Terry Ridon, National Chairperson of the LFS said that Noy made clear who his bosses were, and its not the Filipino people.

“Aquino has proved himself as the new US puppet replacing Arroyo. Even before his proclamation as president, US Ambassador Harry Thomas already gave him his blessing. We are not surprised that he hasn’t had any moves against the VFA despite strong public clamor for its junking.”, Ridon said.

Ridon also mentioned that Noynoy hasn’t addressed the pressing issue of land reform. He is just continuing Arroyo’s economic policies which shove aside development of local industry and depend on foreign aid and investment.

“Instead of relying on foreign loans with unjust conditionalities to supposedly develop the nation, the Aquino government commit to the immediate distribution of agricultural land to the country’s landless and poor farmers, as in Hacienda Luisita.”, Ridon said.

Christine Valerio, secretary general of the SCMP, said that in his first 100 days, Aquino failed to persecute Arroyo on all her crimes to the people.

“Arroyo was able to put Estrada to jail in just 3 months. The Truth Commission Aquino created to supposedly persecute Arroyo is obviously not working. It makes us rethink his sincerity in making Arroyo accountable for her crimes. Aquino even extended Arroyo’s bloodiest counter-insurgency program, Oplan Bantay Laya.”

Valerio said that in just 100 days, there are already 14 extrajudicial killings under the Aquino administration. “The absence of efforts to provide justice for more than a thousand extrajudicial killings and more than 200 desaparacidos under Arroyo is enough evidence to say that Aquino is not an advocate of human rights as he portrayed himself to be during elections. And with the extension of OBL, he is now the newest top human rights violator.”

“Expect heightened action from the youth. We will not hesitate to expose a government that does not serve the people.” said the student leaders. ###

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