WHAT: "Manindigan para sa Katotohanan, Katarungan at Pagbabago" Inter-faith Rally
WHEN: Friday, February 29, 2008 5pm-8pm
WHERE: Ayala cor. Paseo de Roxas, Makati City

As someone was overheard saying, "I am attending [the protest rally] because I support the community's call for truth and accountability. I am coming not for Joey de Venecia or Jun Lozada but for myself. I am coming not because the Opposition is better than the Administration but because I deserve better services from both, period."

Let's try to answer the question, "Why should I go?"

I'm going to the rally because I am sick and tired of being constantly lied to by the government. As observed by civil society leaders, a vicious pattern is becoming evident. First, a brazen act. Then blatant and shameless lies to cover up a criminal act. The Arroyo administration has had a long history of dishonesty, deceit and lying. Its leaders are caught in a tangled web of deception. They can't even lie well, their outrageous lies often contradict each other and their statements constantly change. Masyado ng tinatanga ang tao. At hindi ako tanga, at ayokong patuloy na magpatanga. I want to express my outrage at the Arroyo regime's blatant disregard for the truth.

I'm going to the rally because I am sick and tired of graft and corruption, and I believe that the Arroyo administration is massively corrupt. The scandalous Diosdado Macapagal Highway (dubbed "the most expensive road in the world"), the P728-M Jocjoc Bolante Fertilizer Scam (funds meant for the farmers were diverted to GMA's electoral campaign), the outrageously-overpriced North and South Rail projects, the COMELEC MegaPacific computer deal, the Jose Pidal controversy, and of course the shocking ZTE-NBN fiasco. The unveiling of more and more of these cases is an insult to the populace who witness the heights of injustice and disservice to them. Corruption in public service is anti-poor. The public money that goes to private pockets could have otherwise been used to fund education, provide basic nutrition, construct schoolbuildings, buy textbooks, build hospitals. They could have upgraded the salaries and built homes for our soldiers, policemen, teachers, and government employees. Just one example, the $130-B kickback from the ZTE deal is already more than five times the entire annual budget of the Philippine General Hospital. And that kickback would have gone only to a handful of people, imagine that.

I'm going to the rally because I am sick and tired of the Arroyo administration's various attempts to cover-up massive anomalies. Instead of trying to uncover the truth about these anomalous projects, the Arroyo regime has instead tried to cover them up and sweep them under the rug. Invoking EO 464 (most parts of which have already been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court) to prevent testimonies, refusing to provide documents that could help shed light on matters, even abducting witnesses! As they say, actions speak louder than words. And their actions indicate that they don't want the truth uncovered. Their actions indicate that they are not interested in fighting corruption. Is this because in most instances, the trail of corruption leads right to Malacanang? They want us to see no evil and hear no evil, even if there are already piles of credible evidence pointing against them. Again, I am not stupid. I can use my best judgment to come up with informed analysis.

I'm going to the rally because I am sick and tired of massive electoral cheating, and I still want to express my indignation at the wholesale cheating in the 2004 elections as exposed by the "Hello Garci" tapes. Stealing the vote is a humongous subversion of our democratic process. And since they were able to get away unpunished for it, they were emboldened to cheat again in the 2007 senatorial elections, most notably in Maguindanao, again with COMELEC's help, this time through election supervisor Lintang Bedol. School supervisor Musa Dimasidsing, who exposed some of the electoral fraud and was willing to testify, was gunned down in cold blood. Again, they were able to get away with their crimes. Bedol is still scott-free (as is Garci), and the one who benefited from the massive cheating is now in the Senate (guess who?), in the same way that the one who benefited from the 2004 electoral cheating is still in Malacanang (no need to guess who.)

I'm going to the rally because I am sick and tired of the pervading culture of impunity. The Arroyo administration is using all mean fair and foul --mostly foul-- to evade accountability. They have resorted to bribing congressmen to thwart impeachment efforts (confirmed by at least two congressmen), and bribing governors to have continued local government support, as revealed by Gov. Ed Panlilio, who was offered P500,000 which he returned. And the bribery happening right in Malacanang! Indeed, the administration and its allies seem to have a penchant for trying to buy off people. Abalos tried to offer P200M to NEDA Sec. Neri to approve the ZTE deal, and Deputy Executive Secretary Gaite gave P500,000 to Jun Lozada, which was also returned.

I'm going to the rally because I am sick and tired of the Arroyo administration's suppression of legitimate dissent. I am expressing outrage at the hideous extra-judicial killings and disappearances (where is Jonas Burgos?), which even the United Nations largely attributed to be the handiwork of the military. I am protesting state coercion and intimidation, unleashed by government in the forms of Proclamation 1017 (which was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court), Calibrated Preemptive Response (CPR), and other violations of our freedom of speech and assembly. Why, they even arrested people (Dinky Soliman etc) for wearing a "Patalsikin na, Now Na" shirt! I am condemning attempts to suppress press freedom with illegal arrests of the media (during the Manila Pen incident) and the warrantless raid on the newspaper Daily Tribune.

I'm going to the rally because I am sick and tired of the Arroyo administration's continued destruction of our institutions. Randy David sums it best: "The damage to government institutions has been the most extensive. Far from being a neutral arbiter of disputes and a source of normative stability, the justice system has become a weapon to intimidate those who stand up to power. Far from being a pillar of public security, the military and the police have become the private army of a gangster regime. Instead of serving as an objective referee in electoral contests, the Commission on Elections has become a haven for fixers who deliver fictitious votes to the moneyed and the powerful. The erosion of these institutions, no doubt, has been going on for a long time. But their destruction in the last seven years under Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s presidency has been the most comprehensive since 1986. In self-defense, we must keep the pressure on the Arroyo regime until it releases its grip on our government. At the same time, we must continue to admonish the custodians of our Constitution to do their work faithfully and urgently, and thus spare the rest of the country from the continuing nightmare of a destructive presidency."

I'm going to the rally because I believe that this is not just about the economy, as the Arroyo administration likes to use in its defense, but about rightful governance. What use is a high growth rate if these ephemeral gains have not translated into a better life for most Filipinos? In fact, based on SWS surveys, hunger levels have reached new record-highs under the Arroyo regime, meaning more people are now experiencing involuntary hunger. Sabi nga ni Fr. Jose Echano sa kanyang Mass for Truth homily, "Ang sinasabi natin ay walang tunay na kaunlaran kung walang katotohanan. Ang ating bansa ay di makakamove-on kung nababalot ng kasinungalingan at kaplastikan. Mas mabuti pang gobyerno na may mababang pag-unlad subalit ang nakikinabang ay ang mga mahihirap, pero isang gobyernong na totoo naman keysa isang gobyerno na may mataas na pag-unlad kuno subalit ang nakikinabang naman ay ang mga makapangyarihan at mayayaman, pero isang gobyernong sinungaling naman."

Finally, I'm going to the rally because I believe that I can make a difference, however small this may be. I strongly believe in the sovereign right that rests on the people to change a morally-bankrupt regime. Sounds like People Power? Yes, but a new brand of People Power, one that is refined by experience and reflection on past errors. After all, what will happen to this world if at the first or second failure, we stop trying and give up? A People Power that isn't dependent on some unblemished knight in shining armor that will solve our problems for us, but rather one that is truly people-led and people-centric, requiring our continued active participation and sustained vigilance. We CAN replace a misrule of lying, stealing, cheating, and murder with a rule of truth, honesty, integrity and respect for life. But we have to take the first step, we have to participate, we have to stand up and be counted. As John F Kennedy once said, "All this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1,000 days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin."