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Monday, July 31, 2006
ARREST Statement for July 25
THE CHALLENGES OF OUR TIMES
The country was at a standstill when Manny Pacquiao traded blows with Oscar Larios at the Araneta Coliseum last July 2. More than half the country was glued to TV sets, and even the churches admit that Mass attendance that Sunday was unusually low. Such was the excitement over the Pacquiao-Larios bout that media even reported two cases of viewers suffering heart attacks while watching it.
Never before in its history has the country seen such extent of adulation for a boxer. Not even during the heyday of the legendary Gabriel "Flash" Elorde - who put the Philippines on the world boxing map - did he enjoy such following.
By all means, Pacquiao is indeed worthy of admiration and respect, not only for his talent as a boxer but also for the determination he displayed in his personal struggle from poverty and obscurity to fame and fortune. His victories on the ring are hard-earned and he surely deserves praise for these.
But there is something telling in the kind of adulation he has been receiving, mostly from those in the less fortunate sections of the populace.
It is something way out of the ordinary: it is idolatry of the brand that brought former actor Joseph Estrada to the presidency. We can be sure -- provided that elections are clean -- that Pacquiao would win by a quick knockout should he think of running for the highest office in the land.
This is because we are now at a point where, for the most part, only the likes of Pacquiao could give some cause for hope.
This is a chapter in our history where it has become almost impossible to imagine a worse fate for our country.
The economy is in a shambles, the rule of law has been reduced to a terrible joke, and the moral fabric is in tatters.
The growing ranks of paupers in the streets bespeak the increasing impoverishment of the masses, while those in the corridors of privilege and power flaunt their stolen wealth like bandits boasting of their booty. We have a fictitious president who runs the government in the Mafia manner, a regime that bends the laws of the land in every possible way to justify the daily infliction of the most unthinkable atrocities on the people.
All this is cause for the kind of desperation that gives rise to Pacquiao's cult following. The country's present leadership has failed, and failed miserably, in its duty to make each coming day worth looking forward to for the people. In their hopelessness our countrymen turn to the likes of Pacquiao, whose every triumph in the ring is a spark in the darkness.
The culture of despair being bred by the country's rock-bottom state makes it more and more necessary for us artists to step out of the ivory tower. We are being challenged by the times to show through our works the power that resides in the people, the great wellspring of our material, to alter the course of history as they have done a number of times.
We in the Artists for the Removal of Gloria (ARREST Gloria) are committed to take up this challenge, and we enjoin our fellow artists to do the same.
Artists for the Removal of Gloria (ARREST Gloria)
July 25, 2006
Southern Tagalog Exposure + KASIBULAN Women Artists' Collective + KUMASA (Kulturang Ugnayan ng Manggagawa at Uring Anakpawis sa Timog Katagalugan) + ARTIST, Inc. (Arts Research and Training Institute in Southern Tagalog) + Kilometer 64 Poetry Group + Tambisan sa Sining + APLAYA (Artistang Pangkultura ng Mamamalakaya sa Timog Katagalugan) + UPLB Umalohokan + Pokus Gitnang Luson + Paolo Martinez + Andrea Muñoz + Gian Paolo Mayuga + Jeffrey Ferrer + Onin Tagaro + Bobby Balingit + Winnie Balingit + Lourd de Veyra + Dong Abay + Ninj Abay + Con Cabrera + Roselle Pineda + Heidi Takama + Boom Dizon + Rommel Lozano + Mary Rose Abano + Aba Dalena + Sari Dalena + Gari B + Adios GMA-NCR + Tudla Productions
__._,_.___
Posted at 12:58:53 pm by stexposure
Permalink
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Artists to hold poetry and music night for
detained poet
Sometime in October last year, poet Axel Pinpin
found himself writing a poem for a political prisoner
captured in the Southern Luzon province of Batangas;
only to find out several months later that he would
become a political prisoner himself. Axel or Antoy to
his many friends is now detained in Camp Vicente Lim
in Canlubang, Laguna. He and his group called the “Tagaytay 5” were
arrested by the Philippine National Police for rebellion charges.
Axel and his companions were but the latest victims of repressive
tactics of the Arroyo administration against progressive
organizations.
A BS Agriculture graduate, Pinpin is currently serving
as consultant of the peasant organization Kalipunan
ng mga Magsasaka sa Kabite (Kasama-Ka). He was
abducted by elements of the PNP in Tagaytay City on
April 28, 2006. Abducted together with Pinpin were
other Kasama-Ka members Riel Custodio and Aristedes
Sarmiento and drivers Enrico Ybanez and Michael
Masayes. It took the PNP three days before presenting
the Tagaytay 5 to the media in a press conference on
May 1. On this occasion, there were visible signs that
the detainees had suffered in the hands of
their captors: Custodio for one, had his legs wrapped
with bandages; Sarmiento on the other hand could not walk
properly; and Pinpin looked as if he just had an
asthma attack.
A Fellow of the UP Creative Writing workshop in 1999,
Pinpin has made friends with fellow poets and artists. These
friends of Pinpin’s are expressing support for their
detained comrade through a poetry and music night
aptly titled “Tugma sa Laya.”
Pinpin is among the many artists that have
suffered the brunt of dictatorial policies of the
Arroyo administration. A few weeks before the abduction of the Tagaytay 5,
musician Alexis Uy, a graduate of the University of the
Philippines in Diliman, was illegally arrested, detained and tortured
by the military. Uy is a gifted musician who helped organize
the Artistang Pangkultura ng Mamamalakaya sa Timog Katagalugan
(APLAYA), one of the member organizations of ARREST
Gloria. Uy, who also works as a researcher for the Kalipunan ng Samahang
Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan (KASAMA-TK), was arrested April 30 in
Lucena City together with Joey dela Rosa, also a
researcher for the said peasant organization; and 12 peasant activists from
KOMPRA-Quezon. Just like the Tagaytay 5, they were preparing to join a
caravan to Manila for the Labor Day rally when
arrested.
Tugma sa Laya is intended to gather moral and
financial support for the plight of Pinpin and his
other detained
comrades. The event is going to be held in Mag:Net
Café in Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City on May 31 (Wednesday). The
program will run from 7 to 10 in the
evening. No entrance fee will be charged but
sponsorship tickets that cost 120 pesos each will be available. The proceeds of
which will be used to finance legal and medical services that the
group badly needs.
Among those who will be performing in the event
are National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera;
Nanding Josef, Actor and Artistic Director of the
Cultural Center of the Philippines; poet Vim Nadera,
Director of the UP Creative Writing Center; Dexter
Cayanes who is a Fellow of the 2005 UP Writer’s
Workshop; writer and journalist Iris Gonzales; Radioactive Sago Project
vocalist and poet Lourd de Veyra; TV Personality and SPIT Founder
Gabe Mercado; Bobby Balingit of The Wuds; worker’s chorale from
Laguna called KUMASA; and Ma. Theresa Pangilinan,
Pinpin’s fellow Kabitenyo who is better known as the
student who stood up against GMA at her graduation.
Tugma sa Laya is being organized by Southern Tagalog
Exposure in cooperation with the Artists for the Removal of Gloria
(ARREST Gloria). A similar event with the same title
and intention is also going to be held in Bahandi in
Nakpil St., Malate Manila by poetry group Kilometer
64. ###
Posted at 1:32:07 am by stexposure
Permalink
Artists to hold poetry and music night for
detained poet
Sometime in October last year, poet Axel Pinpin
found himself writing a poem for a political prisoner
captured in the Southern Luzon province of Batangas;
only to find out several months later that he would
become a political prisoner himself. Axel or Antoy to
his many friends is now detained in Camp Vicente Lim
in Canlubang, Laguna. He and his group called the “Tagaytay 5” were
arrested by the Philippine National Police for rebellion charges.
Axel and his companions were but the latest victims of repressive
tactics of the Arroyo administration against progressive
organizations.
A BS Agriculture graduate, Pinpin is currently serving
as consultant of the peasant organization Kalipunan
ng mga Magsasaka sa Kabite (Kasama-Ka). He was
abducted by elements of the PNP in Tagaytay City on
April 28, 2006. Abducted together with Pinpin were
other Kasama-Ka members Riel Custodio and Aristedes
Sarmiento and drivers Enrico Ybanez and Michael
Masayes. It took the PNP three days before presenting
the Tagaytay 5 to the media in a press conference on
May 1. On this occasion, there were visible signs that
the detainees had suffered in the hands of
their captors: Custodio for one, had his legs wrapped
with bandages; Sarmiento on the other hand could not walk
properly; and Pinpin looked as if he just had an
asthma attack.
A Fellow of the UP Creative Writing workshop in 1999,
Pinpin has made friends with fellow poets and artists. These
friends of Pinpin’s are expressing support for their
detained comrade through a poetry and music night
aptly titled “Tugma sa Laya.”
Pinpin is among the many artists that have
suffered the brunt of dictatorial policies of the
Arroyo administration. A few weeks before the abduction of the Tagaytay 5,
musician Alexis Uy, a graduate of the University of the
Philippines in Diliman, was illegally arrested, detained and tortured
by the military. Uy is a gifted musician who helped organize
the Artistang Pangkultura ng Mamamalakaya sa Timog Katagalugan
(APLAYA), one of the member organizations of ARREST
Gloria. Uy, who also works as a researcher for the Kalipunan ng Samahang
Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan (KASAMA-TK), was arrested April 30 in
Lucena City together with Joey dela Rosa, also a
researcher for the said peasant organization; and 12 peasant activists from
KOMPRA-Quezon. Just like the Tagaytay 5, they were preparing to join a
caravan to Manila for the Labor Day rally when
arrested.
Tugma sa Laya is intended to gather moral and
financial support for the plight of Pinpin and his
other detained
comrades. The event is going to be held in Mag:Net
Café in Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City on May 31 (Wednesday). The
program will run from 7 to 10 in the
evening. No entrance fee will be charged but
sponsorship tickets that cost 120 pesos each will be available. The proceeds of
which will be used to finance legal and medical services that the
group badly needs.
Among those who will be performing in the event
are National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera;
Nanding Josef, Actor and Artistic Director of the
Cultural Center of the Philippines; poet Vim Nadera,
Director of the UP Creative Writing Center; Dexter
Cayanes who is a Fellow of the 2005 UP Writer’s
Workshop; writer and journalist Iris Gonzales; Radioactive Sago Project
vocalist and poet Lourd de Veyra; TV Personality and SPIT Founder
Gabe Mercado; Bobby Balingit of The Wuds; worker’s chorale from
Laguna called KUMASA; and Ma. Theresa Pangilinan,
Pinpin’s fellow Kabitenyo who is better known as the
student who stood up against GMA at her graduation.
Tugma sa Laya is being organized by Southern Tagalog
Exposure in cooperation with the Artists for the Removal of Gloria
(ARREST Gloria). A similar event with the same title
and intention is also going to be held in Bahandi in
Nakpil St., Malate Manila by poetry group Kilometer
64. ###
Posted at 1:24:54 am by stexposure
Permalink
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Arroyo gov't on a killing spree
Noli Capulong,deputy secretary general of Bayan Muna Southern Tagalog, staff of Bayan Southern Tagalog and spokesperson of STEAM (Southern Tagalog Environmental Action Movement) was shot to death on May 27, 2006 at around 5:30 to 6 pm while driving his owner-type jeep to Calamba. Two unidentified bonnet-wearing men in motorcyle ambushed Capulong in front of St. John Hospital in Parian, Calamba. He suffered 4 gunshot wounds.
Capulong was very vocal against pro-imperialist policies of the government particularly on mining. He was a delegate of the International League of People's Struggle in a parallel conference against the World Trade Organization 6th Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong in December 2005.
KARAPATAN Southern Tagalog immediately condemned the killing as part of the US-Arroyo regime's grand campaign to suppress its critics under Oplan Bantay Laya. The human rights organization points at government troops as most possible culprit.
Capulong was the 136th victim of extrajudicial killings of activists in Southern Tagalog.
Posted at 10:35:08 pm by stexposure
Permalink
Sunday, May 14, 2006
(This article first appeared in the internet magazine bulatlat.com)
The imprisonment of poet Axel Alejandro Pinpin
and musician Alexis Uy shows the reality that
artists cannot escape from political contradictions
of their time.
BY DENNIS ESPADA
Bulatlat
The imprisonment of poet Axel Alejandro Pinpin
and musician Alexis Uy shows the reality that
artists cannot escape from political contradictions
of their time.
And in the midst of what they perceive as an
attack against freedom of expression, the Artists
for the Removal of Gloria (ARREST Gloria), a
broad alliance of artists and cultural groups, stated
that they cannot bring themselves "to be silent at a
time when the forces of darkness have begun to
haul artists to the silence of the graveyard."
Pinpin, 34, an Agriculture graduate of the Cavite
State University, is a 1999 Fellow of the University
of the Philippines (UP) Writers’ Workshop and
author of a self-published poetry compilation titled
Tugmaang Walang Tugma (Rhyming without
Ryhmes). Friends say he had been compiling
poems for a second book at the time he was
arrested.
Meanwhile, Uy, 26, is a member of Artistang
Pangkultura ng Mamalakaya sa Timog Katagalugan
(APLAYA or Cultural Artists of Fisherfolks in
Southern Tagalog) which he helped organize,
aside from working as a researcher for the
Katipunan ng Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog
Katagalugan (Kasama-TK or Federation of Peasant
Organizations in Southern Tagalog).
Being researchers of peasant organizations, both
artists were supposed to take part in protest
rallies in commemoration of Labor Day to be held in
Cavite and Quezon provinces.
Pinpin and his companions – Kalipunan ng mga
Magsasaka sa Kabite (Kamagsasaka-Ka or
Farmer's Federation in Cavite) organizer Riel
Custodio, researcher Aristedes Sarmiento, and
local residents Enrico Ybañez and Michael
Masayes – were nabbed April 28 somewhere in
Sungay village, Tagaytay City by Philippine National
Police (PNP) elements and Philippine Navy
intelligence agents. Last week, they were charged
with rebellion before the Tagaytay City Regional
Trial Court while being detained at Camp Vicente
Lim in Canlubang, Laguna.
Meanwhile, Uy together with 14 farmers belonging
to Kongreso ng Magbubukid para sa Repormang
Agraryo (KOMPRA or Peasant Congress for
Agrarian Reform) were seized April 30 while
traveling on a bus going to Candelaria and kept in
isolated detention at the Philippine Army's Southern
Luzon Command (Solcom) headquarters in Camp
Nakar, Lucena City.
Their captors presented them to the media as New
People's Army (NPA) rebels involved in an alleged
anti-government "destabilization plot.”
Peasant advocates
While officials of the PNP and the military insists
that they have recovered "evidences" linking the
suspects to so-called "destabilizers," they did not
elaborate on the connection to reinforce their
claims.
On the contrary, Kamagsasaka-Ka stated, there
appeared to be signs of torture inflicted on the
suspects. They expressed worry after seeing on
TV newscasts video footages showing Custodio
limping, Sarmiento's bandaged leg and Pinpin
looking as though he was suffering from asthma
attacks.
They also said the police took away a large sum of
money that belongs to the farmers. The cash was
reserved to purchase pardo (muscovado) and
kapeng barako (a native coffee variety) under the
Fair Trade Agreement signed in 2004 between the
farmer's group and the Vancouver-based non-
government organization Shuswap Association
for the Promotion of Eco-Development (SAPED) for
the purpose of raising the prices of sugar cane
and unrefined coffee in Cavite and Batangas.
"Nakapagtatakang hindi ipinapahayag ng
pamunuan ng pulis na nakuha din nila ang
halagang mahigit 400,000 piso na noong oras na
maganap ang pagdukot sa lima ay nasa pag-iingat
nina Pinpin at Custodio" (It is a wonder why the
PNP leadership did not say that they also
confiscated the P400,000 that Pinpin and Custodio
were holding when the five were arrested),
Kamagsasaka-Ka spokesman Rogelio Galit told
Bulatlat.
Colleagues from Kasama-TK, meanwhile, said the
allegation that Uy is an NPA member is false, with
the latter having graduated recently from the
University of the Philippines (UP) College of Social
Work and Community Development. In fact, Uy has
been working on two research projects: one is a
case study on the implementation of the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP)
in the Bondoc Peninsula and the other is about the
coconut industry in Quezon, in preparation for the
CARP's 18th anniversary on June 10.
Uy has been recently released, but is reported to
be under continuing surveillance.
Resisting restraint
Citing the cases of Pinpin and Uy, the Arroyo
administration is like telling artists that they "are
free only for so long as they refrain from
challenging the ruling clique and the manner in
which it 'orders' the country," ARREST Gloria
declared in a statement.
"To prohibit dissent is to curtain freedom of
expression,” the ARREST Gloria statement
read. “As lawyer and historical conversationist
Trixie Angeles said, 'Without freedom of
expression there can be no artist.'"
ARREST Gloria, together with the poets' group
Kilometer 64 has called on artists and writers to
work together for the release of Pinpin and resist
all attempts by the government to impose restraint.
Bulatlat.com
Posted at 1:46:07 pm by stexposure
Permalink
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Pahayag ng Kilometer 64 sa Pagdkip sa Makatang si Axel Pinpin
Ipagtanggol ang Kalayaan ng Panulat
Kami sa Kilometer 64, isang samahan ng mga progresibong makata, ay mariing kumukundena sa pagdakip sa kapwa namin makatang si Axel Pinpin – naging fellow sa UP Writers' Workshop at may-akda ng koleksiyong Tugmaang Walang Tugma – sa Tanauan, Batangas, malapit sa hangganan bago sumapit sa Tagaytay, noong Abril 29.
Isa ring mananaliksik sa Kalipunan ng Samahan ng mga Magsasaka sa Kabite (Kamagsasaka-Ka), kasama niyang nadakip si Riel Custodio, kasamahan din niya sa naturang organisasyon, at sina Aristides Sarmiento, Rico Ibañez, at isang nakikilala lamang sa ngayon sa pangalang Michael. Sila noo'y patungo sa Maynila upang sumama sana sa demonstrasyon sa Araw ng Paggawa.
Ayon sa Philippine National Police (PNP), na nagkumpirma na sa pag-aresto sa kanila taliwas sa isang naunang pabatid, silang lima ay mga rebeldeng komunista at kasangkot sa isang planong destabilisasyon laban sa rehimeng Arroyo.
Bagama't hindi kasapi ng aming samahan si Pinpin at nakasama namin siya sa iisa lamang sa aming mga proyekto, kilala namin siya hindi lamang dahil sa kanyang kahusayan bilang makata kundi dahil din sa kanyang mahigpit na panghahawak sa simulain ng paglikha at pagpapamahagi ng panulaang nagsusulong ng tunay na kasarinlan at demokrasya sa ating bansa. Ganito rin ang simulaing nagbubuklod sa amin bilang mga kasapi ng Kilometer 64.
Ang kanyang pagiging isang makata ng protesta at ang kanyang paglilingkod bilang mananaliksik sa isang samahan ng mga militanteng magsasaka ay hindi magkahiwalay, manapa'y kapwa bahagi ng iisang panghahawak sa paninindigan.
Ang ganitong pagsasabuhay ng prinsipyo ng paglilingkod sa bansa at sa kapwa ang dahilan kung kaya si Pinpin, sampu ng kanyang mga kasamahan, ay binabansagan ngayong mga "rebeldeng komunista" at "destabilisador." Hindi tuloy namin maiwasang sumagi sa isip ang ganito ring dinanas noong araw ng mga kapwa namin makatang sina Amado V. Hernandez at Bienvenido Lumbera.
Batay sa kasaysayan, ang ganitong mga bansag ay mga lisensiya sa mga puwersa ng estado upang gipitin, kundi man dahasin, ang sinumang mabansagan nang ganito. Panggigipit nga ang natikman nina Hernandez at Lumbera nang sila'y paratangan nang ganito sa magkaibang bahagi ng ating kasaysayan.
Bukod pa sa lahat nito, ang pagkakadakip sa kapwa namin makatang si Pinpin at ang ganitong mga paratang sa kanya ay isang banta sa kalayaan sa pagpapahayag – isang batayang karapatan ng tao na lubhang sagrado sa aming mga makata at iba pang mga manunulat. Hindi na nasiyahan ang walang-silbing pamahalaang ito sa pagsikil sa kalayaan ng mga mamamahayag at ngayo'y sinimulan na ring salakayin ang hanay ng iba pang mga nasa larangan ng panulat – kagaya ng ginawa ng rehimeng Marcos noong kasagsagan ng Batas Militar.
Sa ginawa ng pamahalaan kay Pinpin at sa kanyang mga kasamahan, lalong lumilitaw na wasto ang nauna na naming pakikiisa sa kampanya upang patalsikin mula sa katungkulan si Arroyo. Hinihimok naming makiisa rin sa kampanyang ito ang mga kapwa namin manunulat at ang mga mamamayan.
Kilometer 64
Mayo 1, 2006
Sampaguita Pictures presents...
ni Axel Pinpin
Ang tula ay umaagapay sa panahon.
Tapos na ang ligawan ng paru-paro
at nektar ng gumamela nitong kasuyo;
ang habulan sa paligid ng malalabay na mangga;
ang pagsungkit sa bituin
o ang paggapi sa dilim.
Ito ay panahon ng mga nag-aalburutong tula.
Likhain nawa ng mga makata
ang linyang aserong nagiging punglo,
ang awit ng ngalit ng pag-ibig sa inutang na dugo,
ang tugma ng digma sa kawalang laya;
at iukit nila sa pamagat -
ang mapupulang titik
ng himagsik.
Tutal, ang mga tulang ngayo'y itinuturing nilang
kriminal,
tiyak...
iaabsweltong lahat ng kasaysayan.
(Unang inilathala ang tulang ito ni Axel Pinpin sa
Southern Tagalog Exposure magasin noong taong 2002.)
Ilitaw sina Axel Pinpin at Igalang ang Kanilang mga Karapatan
Inihahayag namin ang lubos na pagkabahala sa kalagayan ng aming kapwa makatang si Axel Pinpin, na kunsultante rin ng Kalipunan ng mga Magsasaka sa Kabite (Kamagsasaka-Ka); at ng mga kasamahan niyang sina Riel Custodio, Rico Ybañez, Aristides Sarmiento, at Michael Masayes.
Bagama’t hindi kasapi ng aming samahan si Pinpin at nakasama namin siya sa iisa lamang sa aming mga proyekto, kilala namin siya hindi lamang dahil sa kanyang kahusayan bilang makata kundi dahil din sa kanyang mahigpit na panghahawak sa simulain ng paglikha at pagpapamahagi ng panulaang nagsusulong ng tunay na kasarinlan at demokrasya sa ating bansa. Ganito rin ang simulaing pinahahalagahan namin bilang isang samahan ng mga makata.
Sina Pinpin ay dinukot sa Tagaytay City noong gabi ng Abril 28 (at hindi sa Tanauan City noong Abril 29 taliwas sa naunang napaulat), at noong Mayo 1 na lamang ibinunyag ng Philippine National Police (PNP) sa Cavite na sila’y “inaresto” bilang mga “rebeldeng komunistang” kasangkot sa isang “planong destabilisasyon.” Magpahanggang ngayo’y walang linaw kung saan sila nakakulong.
Nilalabag ng pamahalaan sa ganito ang sarili nitong mga batas. Malinaw na nakasaad sa batas na ang mga akusadong tulad nila’y may karapatang madalaw ng mga abugadong sila ang pumili, ngunit paano sila mabibisita ng sinumang abugado kung ganitong ang kinaroroonan nila’y waring itinuturing na isang sikretong militar?
Bukod pa rito, may higit pa sa sapat na dahilan upang mag-alala kami sa kanilang pisikal na kalagayan. Nang sila’y iharap ng PNP sa midya, kapansin-pansing may benda ang paa ni Sarmiento, paika-ika si Custodio, at si Pinpin ay naghahabol ng hininga na tila galing sa isang matinding atake ng hika. Mga palatandaan itong nagbibigay sa amin ng dahilan upang maghinalang sila’y pinahihirapan ng mga dumukot sa kanila.
Sapagkat malimit na rin lamang namang ipagmalaki ng Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo na siya ang commander-in-chief ng PNP at ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), ibabagsak namin sa kanyang pintuan ang anumang masamang maaaring sinapit at sasapitin pa nina Pinpin habang nakapiit.
Na sila raw ay nakunan ng mga subersibong dokumento at mga resibo ng pagbili ng mga sangkap ng pampasabog? Hindi maipaliwanag ng PNP kung paano nila nalamang “nagtataglay” ng mga bagay na ito si Pinpin at ang kanyang mga kasamahan. Dahil dito, hindi malayong ang mga “ebidensiyang” nakuha sa kanila ay itinanim lamang, kagaya ng hindi-miminsan nating nababalitaan sa mga ulat-pulisya.
At kung totoo mang may taglay silang ganitong mga bagay, hindi pa rin ito sapat na dahilan upang sila’y ilayo sa mga abugado at kamag-anak at lalo na’y saktan kagaya ng mukhang siyang nangyari sa kanila.
Itong nangyayari kay Pinpin at sa kanyang mga kasamahan ay isang humahalakhak na panggagahasa sa kalayaan sa pagpapahayag – isang karapatang lubhang sagrado sa aming mga makata at sa iba pang mga mannunulat – gayundin sa kalayaan ng pagsapi. Sa ganitong dinaranas nila ay waring nakikita namin ang nakangising mga bunganga ng Pangulong Arroyo at ng kanyang mga alipures na nagsasabing walang karapatang ituring na tao ang sinumang magsulong ng tunay na kasarinlan at demokrasya – kabanal-banalang simulaing ipinaglaban maging ng hindi iilang makata ng ating bayan kabilang si Amado V. Hernandez, nahirang na Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Panitikan noong 1973.
Mga bagay itong nauukol na ipag-alab ng sinumang manunulat at ng sinumang nagpapahalaga sa kanyang pagiging tao.
Kilometer 64
Mayo 4, 2006
Posted at 3:06:49 am by stexposure
Permalink
GO NOT TO THE SILENCE OF THE GRAVEYARD
We in the Artists for the Removal of Gloria (ARREST Gloria) condemn to high heavens the arrest, detention and torture of our fellow artist, Alexis Uy – a gifted musician and recent UP Diliman graduate who helped organize the Artistang Pangkultura ng Mamamalakaya sa Timog Katagalugan (APLAYA), one of our member organizations.
Uy, who also works as a researcher for the Kalipunan ng Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan (KASAMA-TK), was arrested April 30 in Lucena City together with Joey dela Rosa, also a researcher for the said peasant organization; and 12 peasant activists from KOMPRA-Quezon. They were preparing to join a caravan to Manila for the Labor Day rally when arrested.
The 14 are now detained at the headquarters of the military’s Southern Luzon Command (Solcom) in Camp Nakar, Lucena City, as confirmed by its chief Lt. Gen. Pedro Cabuay Jr. Human rights workers handling their case have disclosed that the authorities have refused to allow counsel and visitors for them.
When Uy and his companions were arrested, they were on their way to Manila to join a rally intending to articulate the grievances of workers, as well as their brothers and sisters in the rural areas, against a government that has imposed a good number of the most anti-people policies in decades.
This is a perfectly legitimate cause. For advocating this, Uy and his companions were arrested and are now detained.
We are concerned for the safety of Uy and his companions. Too much have we seen of what is visited upon perceived “enemies of the state” in the custody of government forces. Because President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), we shall hold her accountable for whatever happens to Uy and his companions while in detention.
The arrest of Uy and his companions is an attack against the freedom of expression – a basic human right held especially sacred by artists. It shows that artists are free only for so long as they refrain from challenging the ruling clique and the manner in which it “orders” the country.
To prohibit dissent is to curtail the freedom of expression. As lawyer and historical conservationist Trixie Angeles said, “Without freedom of expression there can be no artist.”
We in ARREST Gloria cannot but condemn the arrest of Uy and his companions – and not simply because Uy is a member of our alliance.
We cannot bring ourselves to be silent at a time when the forces of darkness have begun to haul artists to the silence of the graveyard. To be silent at this point is to put the gun to our heads and pull the trigger.
Artists for the Removal of Gloria (ARREST Gloria)
May 2, 2006
Southern Tagalog Exposure + KASIBULAN Women Visual
Artists’ Collective + KUMASA (Kulturang Ugnayan ng
Manggagawa at Uring Anakpawis sa Timog Katagalugan) +
ARTIST, Inc. (Arts Research and Training Institute in
Southern Tagalog) + Kilometer 64 Poetry Group +
Tambisan sa Sining + APLAYA (Artistang Pangkultura ng
Mamamalakaya sa Timog Katagalugan) + UPLB Umalohokan +
Pokus Gitnang Luson + Paolo Martinez + Andrea Muñoz +
Gian Paolo Mayuga + Jeffrey Ferrer + Onin Tagaro +
Bobby Balingit + Winnie Balingit + Lourd de Veyra +
Dong Abay + Ninj Abay + Con Cabrera + Roselle Pineda +
Heidi Takama + Boom Dizon + Rommel Lozano + Mary Rose
Abano + Aba Dalena + Sari Dalena + Gari B + Adios NCR + Tudla Productions
Posted at 2:24:25 am by stexposure
Permalink
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
OF HONOR AND HUMAN RIGHTS
We in the Artists for the Removal of Gloria (ARREST Gloria) denounce in the strongest terms the conferment of the Distinguished Service Star on Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr. last March 20 – a move no doubt approved by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), who has rewarded him with promotions several times in the last five years. The medal was given to him during the Philippine Army's celebration of its 109th anniversary.
In particular, Palparan was honored for his "eminently meritorious and valuable service rendered as Commander of the 8th Infantry Division," a unit based in Samar where he was assigned from February to September last year. He is now commanding officer of the 7th Infantry Division, which is based in Central Luzon.
Eastern Visayas, where Samar is located, had seen some of the most brutal atrocities against human rights in the past year.
Based on data from the human rights group Karapatan, 11 activists were killed under Palparan's watch in Samar while assasination attempts were made on four others. Among those felled by extrajudicial executioners' bullets under the watch of Palparan were lawyer Felidito Dacut and Rev. Edison Lapus.
Meanwhile, thousands of people were forced to flee their homes because of the 8th Infantry Division's "special operations."
Palparan is now on his second assignment to Central Luzon: he was first assigned there in the 1980s. After his first assignment to the said region, he headed Army units in the Cordillera and Southern Tagalog. In every region where he was assigned, Palparan left trails of gruesome human rights violations.
The pictures of the mutilated corpses of community leaders Expedito and Manuela Albarillo, human rights worker Eden Marcellana, and peasant leader Eddie Gumanoy – all killed under Palparan's command in Mindoro – are impossible to forget and should not be forgotten.
By allowing the conferment of the Distinguished Service Star on Palparan, Arroyo is telling the nation that to trample on the rights that make man human is "meritorious." By allowing the conferment of the Distinguished Service Star on Palparan, Arroyo is telling the nation that the more than 4,000 human rights violations that were perpetrated by state forces under her watch are "meritorious" acts.
We condemn in the strongest terms the awarding of such honor on a most dishonorable man – nay, a most despicable man. As she has, by approving the conferment of the Distinguished Service Star on Palparan shown her utter contempt for human rights – which as president she is under oath to protect – we reiterate our call for her removal from office.
Artists for the Removal of Gloria (ARREST Gloria)
March 24, 2006
Southern Tagalog Exposure + KASIBULAN Women Visual
Artists’ Collective + KUMASA (Kulturang Ugnayan ng
Manggagawa at Uring Anakpawis sa Timog Katagalugan) +
ARTIST, Inc. (Arts Research and Training Institute in
Southern Tagalog) + Kilometer 64 Poetry Group +
Tambisan sa Sining + APLAYA (Artistang Pangkultura ng
Mamamalakaya sa Timog Katagalugan) + UPLB Umalohokan +
Pokus Gitnang Luson + Paolo Martinez + Andrea Muñoz +
Gian Paolo Mayuga + Jeffrey Ferrer + Onin Tagaro +
Bobby Balingit + Winnie Balingit + Lourd de Veyra +
Dong Abay + Ninj Abay + Con Cabrera + Roselle Pineda +
Heidi Takama + Boom Dizon + Rommel Lozano + Mary Rose
Abano + Aba Dalena + Sari Dalena + Gari B + Adios NCR + Tudla Productions
Posted at 4:04:08 am by stexposure
Permalink
FREE KA BEL, END THE FASCIST REGIME
Julia Clarete
Agaw Agimat
Aba Dalena
We in the Artists for the Removal of Gloria (ARREST Gloria) manifest our complete solidarity with Anakpawis Rep. Crispin Beltran, the Free Ka Bel Movement (FKBM), and all his friends and supporters on this occasion of Hangad ay Kalayaan, a concert organized as part of the campaign for his freedom.
As artists, we hold sacred the freedom of expression - which is one of the highest on the list of civil liberties. As lawyer and historical conservationist Trixie Angeles said, "Without freedom of expression there can be no artist."
If there is anyone who can be considered a symbol of how wantonly the state presently violates civil liberties, including the freedom of expression, it is none other than Representative Beltran.
The 73-year-old labor leader-turned-legislator was arrested on Feb. 25, a day after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued Proclamation No. 1017 which declared the country as being in a state of national emergency - on the basis of a supposed coup attempt which the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) had earlier claimed to have thwarted.
When he was arrested, he was told he was merely being invited. It was only upon reaching Camp Crame that he was shown the warrant that would serve as the basis for his arrest - a warrant of arrest for a rebellion case filed against him by the Marcos dictatorship - which was dismissed during the time of the Aquino administration.
Much has been made of the supposed lifting last March 3 of Proclamation No. 1017 - the proclamation that allowed Representative Beltran's patently illegal arrest and detention.
Nearly a month after March 3, Representative Beltran continues to languish in jail - proving to be much less fortunate than the other oppositionists who were arrested since Proclamation No. 1017 was issued. Each time the courts order his release, the Philippine National Police (PNP) manages to produce a new case against him. The PNP would not even grant his release on humanitarian grounds, in utter disregard of his precarious medical condition.
Representative Beltran is suffering all these and only because he has consistently dared to take the side of the people from whom he sprung in debates on issues of pressing national concern. He is guilty of no crime except that of serving the people, and for this he is treated worse than the common criminal.
We condemn to high heavens this continuous violation of Representative Beltran's human rights - which in more ways than one showcases the brazen trampling of the people's basic democratic rights - including the freedom of expression - by the Macapagal-Arroyo administration.
We add our voices to the clamor for Representative Beltran's release. We call for an end to the open fascist rule that the Macapagal-Arroyo regime has unleashed upon the people. We reiterate our call for President Macapagal-Arroyo's removal from office.
Artists for the Removal of Gloria (ARREST Gloria)
April 1, 2006
Southern Tagalog Exposure + KASIBULAN Women Visual
Artists’ Collective + KUMASA (Kulturang Ugnayan ng
Manggagawa at Uring Anakpawis sa Timog Katagalugan) +
ARTIST, Inc. (Arts Research and Training Institute in
Southern Tagalog) + Kilometer 64 Poetry Group +
Tambisan sa Sining + APLAYA (Artistang Pangkultura ng
Mamamalakaya sa Timog Katagalugan) + UPLB Umalohokan +
Pokus Gitnang Luson + Paolo Martinez + Andrea Muñoz +
Gian Paolo Mayuga + Jeffrey Ferrer + Onin Tagaro +
Bobby Balingit + Winnie Balingit + Lourd de Veyra +
Dong Abay + Ninj Abay + Con Cabrera + Roselle Pineda +
Heidi Takama + Boom Dizon + Rommel Lozano + Mary Rose
Abano + Aba Dalena + Sari Dalena + Gari B + Adios NCR + Tudla Productions
MATABA KA PA SA POSTER
Rustum Casia
Gusto kong panatagin ang mga ugat sa aking utak
sa pag-iisip na ang nasa iyong isip sa mga oras na ito
ay kung ano na ang nangyari sa Jewel in the Palace,
kung magkakatuluyan ba sina Jang Geum at Kapitan,
o kaya naman ay kung makakabalik pa sa Eat! Bulaga ang Sexbomb
o tuluyan nang mapipirata ni Willie Revillame
o kaya naman, iniisip mo
kung handa na bang talaga si Rustom Padilla
sa mundo sa labas ng Bahay ni Kuya.
Pero pihadong hindi.
Inaaltapresyon na at lahat, maliban sa pamilya't asawa,
inaalala mo ang mga kasama,
kung lumalarga ba ang mga petisyon, ang mga manipesto,
ang mga discussion.
Kung naibababa ba sa masa ang mga pangunahing panawagan
na magkaisang lumaban
at naipapaintindi ba sa kanila
na hindi ang kanilang Ka Bel ang nakakulong
kundi ang kanilang kalayaan.
Posted at 3:49:07 am by stexposure
Permalink
Monday, March 20, 2006
NO REASON TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE
Lourd De Veyra (Radioactive Sago Project) performs at the Concert for Freedom in UP Diliman
Dong Abay (with Popoy Diokno)
Bobby Balingit (with Dennis of Juan Isip)
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo no doubt expected
the nation to jump for joy when she announced March 3
that she had lifted Proclamation No. 1017, which
declared the country as being in a state of national
emergency. But there is no reason to put out the fire
with which we met her fire.
Just as the people were commemorating the 20th
anniversary of EDSA I, the popular uprising that ended
the Marcos dictatorship's reign of terror, President
Arroyo issued Proclamation No. 1017 – on the basis of
a supposed coup attempt which the Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) had earlier claimed to have
thwarted. This would be followed by dispersals of
commemorative rallies and a crackdown on various
forces known to be critical of the Arroyo
administration – which is under fire for electoral
fraud, the imposition of anti-national and anti-people
policies, corruption, and human rights violations.
Professors Randy David and Ronald Llamas, lawyer Argee
Guevarra, Reps. Crispin Beltran and Joel Virador,
retired generals Ramon Montaño and Rex Piad, and labor
leaders Dennis Maga and Marcial Dabela were all
arrested. Reps. Satur Ocampo, Teddy Casiño, Rafael
Mariano, and Liza Maza were all able to elude arrest
but have had to ask for protective custody at the
House of Representatives.
The offices of newspapers The Daily Tribune and Abante
were raided. Meanwhile, police were deployed at a
number of other media offices – including that of the
Catholic church-operated Radyo Veritas. A number of
Tribune editors and columnists have been charged with
inciting to sedition. Three public affairs programs
known to be critical of the government – Ngayon Na
Bayan, Diyos at Bayan, and Buhay Manggagawa – have
been suspended.
After all these we hear President Arroyo announcing on
March 3 that she had lifted Proclamation No. 1017.
She no doubt expected the nation to jump for joy at
this announcement. But there is no reason to jump for
joy.
Just the day before Proclamation No. 1017 was lifted,
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita was bragging that
the "crackdown" on President Arroyo's political
opponents would continue.
A few days before that, Philippine National Police
(PNP) chief Gen. Arturo Lomibao – ironically said to
have been an activist for a brief period before
martial law – had announced that they were developing
editorial guidelines for coverage of political events.
He has declared that the formulation and
implementation of these guidelines would go on even if
Proclamation No. 1017 is lifted.
We have these straight from the horses' mouths.
President Arroyo's lifting of Proclamation No. 1017
is, then, nothing but an illusion.
There is no reason to celebrate the lifting of
Proclamation No. 1017. We met fire with fire and we
must keep the fire burning.
Artists for the Removal of Gloria (ARREST Gloria)
March 16, 2006
Southern Tagalog Exposure + KASIBULAN Women Visual
Artists’ Collective + KUMASA (Kulturang Ugnayan ng
Manggagawa at Uring Anakpawis sa Timog Katagalugan) +
ARTIST, Inc. (Arts Research and Training Institute in
Southern Tagalog) + Kilometer 64 Poetry Group +
Tambisan sa Sining + APLAYA (Artistang Pangkultura ng
Mamamalakaya sa Timog Katagalugan) + UPLB Umalohokan +
Pokus Gitnang Luson + Paolo Martinez + Andrea Muñoz +
Gian Paolo Mayuga + Jeffrey Ferrer + Onin Tagaro +
Bobby Balingit + Winnie Balingit + Lourd de Veyra +
Dong Abay + Ninj Abay + Con Cabrera + Roselle Pineda +
Heidi Takama + Boom Dizon + Rommel Lozano + Mary Rose
Abano + Aba Dalena + Sari Dalena
Posted at 1:48:13 am by stexposure
Permalink
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