Filipino Youth in the US rejects Arroyo's Lies, Joins clamor for her ouster

 

For Immediate Release July 28, 2008 

Anakbayan's Statement on SONA 

Filipino Youth in the US rejects Arroyo's Lies, Joins clamor for her ouster

As the students and youth in the Philippines prepare for another walk-out in time with Gloria Arroyo's 8th State of the Nation Adress (SONA), Anakbayan-led Filipino youths shall join ally organizations in front of the Philippine Consulate to assert their disgust and rejection of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s deceit-swathed regime. 

"Arroyo's lies can no longer cover up the true state of our motherland which, like the sunken MV Princess of the Stars, is on the verge of drowning under a storm of political and economic crises caused by her anti-people, pro-foreign interest policies." said Dani Galan, chairperson of Anakbayan NY/NJ. 

While the economy is plunging, prices of basic commodities rising and oil prices spiking, the government, under GMA's tyrannical rule, has completely ignored the youth and the Filipino people altogether, spending more money on bullets and guns instead of schools and books and other social services. Qualified data show that GMA only spends 12php per student as compared to 14php that she spends on every M16 bullet, causing more and more students to drop out of school each year. Only 58 out of every 100 students who enter Grade 1 eventually move on to high school and only 14 students are estimated to earn a college degree. 

Furthermore, the lack of National Industrialization in the Philippines, due to GMA's fanatical hold to neo-liberal policies as dictated by US Imperialism, has left college graduates either unemployed or underemployed thereby turning our nation's brightest into call center agents and/or workers abroad who are subjected to abusive labor policies. 

In addition, human rights violations committed by Arroyo's minions against the bravest voices of the people, particularly from the youth, continue to escalate. As Arroyo desperately attempts to extinguish the people's revolt, the number of murdered Filipino patriots has reached 903, 23 of those are from the youth sector. 

Filipinos facing these atrocious conditions at home are fed up and Filipino youth in the US are too. The choices are limited; stand back and perish, or step up and fight. Hundreds of thousands of youth are firmly convinced that being a bystander is not a wise choice anymore and fighting for national democracy and Arroyo's ouster is indispensable. Today, there is no other place to be but on the streets. 

"We urge more of our fellow youth here in the US to come out, speak up and join us in our escalating protests. There is no other choice for the Filipino youth and the people but to revolt, to oust Arroyo through a “People Power” and establish a government that will genuinely serve the interests of the people" ended by Yves Nibungco, member of Anakbayan. ### 

OUST THE US-ARROYO REGIME! END GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION! 

ROLLBACK RICE & OIL PRICES; ABOLISH THE RICE CARTELS! 

US TROOPS OUT OF THE PHILIPPINES! 

END HUMAN TRAFFICKING! 

SCRAP THE OVERSEAS REMITTANCE TAX! 

Youth, People Revolt!