Militant groups welcome bishops' call for radical change
Militant groups here under Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) express support to the call of the five Catholic bishops for a drastic change in government due to unabated corruption in the Arroyo government.
According to Edgar Pelayo, BAYAN-Panay spokesperson, the Filipino people has suffered enough of misery and difficulty under the present governance. "The nation has been a witness to numerous scandals and scams involving billions of pesos courtesy of the present government but the people are left helpless, living in dire poverty. Where is the government's social services for the people? GMA doesn't care for her people!" lamented Pelayo.
BAYAN has been at the forefront in the call for Arroyo's ouster since 2004. "The Arroyo government does not have the authority anymore to lead this country. With the Hello Garci scandal hounding her presidential victory in 2004 and the series of anomalous and graft-ridden contracts her government has entered into, the people must persevere in the call for her ouster from presidency," added Pelayo.
Meanwhile, the Alliance for Truth, Justice, and Accountability (ATJA), formed at the height of Jun Lozada expose on the NBN-ZTE Deal, warmly welcomed the statement of Archbishop Angel Lagdameo. "We are glad that even the head of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines has declared his dismay on how this country is being run by the most corrupt president in the Philippine history and in Asia. We hope that more and more of our people will realize the need to change the leadership and the system of governance of our country. Indeed, Gloria must go now!" said Pastor Stanley Flores of the Jesus is Lord Movement and ATJA co-convener.
"We will continue to draw more strength and inspiration from the statement of our church leaders. We cannot afford to lose hope in our campaign against Gloria's ouster. The global financial crisis that has drastically affected the Philippine economy has brought widespread poverty and hunger among our people. We must act now. The interest of the majority of our people must be served with a pro-people government," expressed Pelayo.