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Militants: Military politically unfit, morally
decadent to educate voters on election

The leftwing fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Friday said government troops currently deployed in urban poor communities in Metro Manila are politically unfit and morally decadent to stage a Metro wide voters’ education about two weeks before the May 14, 2007 elections.

“The Hello Garci scandal is a solid piece of evidence why the military should not be allowed to take part in the elections,” Pamalakaya national chair and Anakpawis nominee Fernando Hicap said in a press statement commenting on AFP-NCR command chief Benjamin Dolorfino pronouncement yesterday that the military deployed in Metro Manila would be engaged in an advocacy to ensure honest, orderly and peaceful elections.

Hicap brought the issue of Hello Garci tapes suggesting that Armed Forces Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon Jr. was involved in the massive fraud during the May 2004 presidential elections that benefited President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo over her rival the late movie actor Fernando Poe Jr. in the close fight presidential fight three years ago.

“The AFP has no moral and political right to take up the cause for fraud free elections. All election watchdogs should include the military establishment in their watch list as one of the government institutions capable of performing massive fraud for Palace-backed candidates in the May 07 polls,” the militant leader said.

Hicap said the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) should instead keep a close eye on the possible role of the military to perform fraud related activities in accordance with Malacañang’s plan to ensure the victory of Palace-backed candidates.

“The reactionary AFP is always engaged in dirty elections, either as undeclared private armies of powerful warlord politicians or cheating machinery of any incumbent ruling clique in Malacañang. If we want to have a fraud-free and violence free polls, the military should top the list of most distrusted and highly guarded group of armed personnel in the country,” the Anakpawis nominee added.

Hicap said the AFP-NCR command signed the covenant with Church and anti-fraud groups to allow them to expand their duties, including the all-out campaign against leftwing party list groups in Metro Manila, one of the bailiwicks of militant party list groups like Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Gabriela, Kabataan and Suara Bangsa Moro.

“The AFP signed the covenant to justify and put moral premium to their anti-militant party list campaign and counter-insurgency program under Oplan Bantay Laya II,” the Anakpawis nominee added.

Earlier, Pamalakaya and Anakpawis party list urged Comelec Benjamin Abalos Sr. to reject the military move to conduct voters’ education forums in Metro Manila. Both groups warned the Comelec chair and other commissioners that granting such request by the military would lead to the impeachment of Abalos and other Comelec commissioners.

Pamalakaya and Anakpawis party list asserted that allowing such move would violate the 1987 Constitution, the Omnibus Election Code and Comelec Resolution no. 7747. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 09:58 | link | comments |

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