"GMA behind attacks on rights of progressives" - GWP

Gabriela Women's Party is enraged at the heightening political repression and harassment in the country at the eve of the start of official campaign period for the May elections. The group said that the current administration under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in undoubtedly behind the recent arrests and harassment of leaders and members of legitimate organizations.Last Saturday, 43 health workers, 26 of whom are women, were illegally arrested in Morong, Rizal and continues to be detained and denied their civil rights for visitation and legal counsel.

Earlier, Ira Pamat, executive director of Women's Development Center (WDC) based in Tagbilaran, Bohol was threatened and harassed when the 2nd SF Battalion maliciously reported in a local newspaper that Pamar is a part of a certain District White Area Committee (DWAC), supposedly a structure of the underground CPP-NPA.

The military cited intelligence report that it has “monitored the meeting of the Women’s Development Center in the afternoon of Jan. 9, at Sitio Taytay, in Brgy. Montesuerte, Carmen”. The meeting they referred to was actually a voters education on the automated election system being conducted by WDC.

“Pamat and WDC, like the health workers arrested in Tanay, render direct services to the people which the Arroyo government completely fail to deliver. It is simply enraging that they should be subjected to such violations,” said Shiela Ferrer, GABRIELA NCR chairperson and Gabriela Women's Party nominee.

GWP noted that prior to the 2007 elections, Liezl Cunado, a staff of WDC and member of GABRIELA, was brutally killed at the height of extra-judicial killings linked to the current administration's Oplan Bantay Laya counter-insurgency campaign.

“We see here a grand design by the state with the help of the AFP to harass into silence the progressive organizations, especially members of party lists critical to the Arroyo administration,” said Ferrer.

Ferrer added that leaders and members of local chapters of GABRIELA and Gabriela Women's Party in NCR are also being harassed by soldiers deployed in communities under the Civil Military Operations of the AFP.

“Our leaders and members suffer, like Ira, are being harassed in their own commuties as well,” said Ferrer.

“This renewed and intensified political repression and harassments is nothing new but we believe this time, the attacks against the people's rights will be more severe Arroyo grows more desperate to cling to power. These moves are the government's rapacious way of sending thinly veiled threat to the people not to support progressive groups which the administration considers a major threat to Arroyo's clear plan to remain in power beyond June 30.”

In the first day of the campaign period today, Gabriela Women's Party launched Purple Change, a women's campaign for livelihood, social justice and change. ““We will not be daunted. We will advance our legitimate and valid cause to address the interests and welfare of women and the people whether in the streets or in the parliament,” concluded Ferrer.

GABRIELA and GWP is set to hold a protest action against political harassment at the Department of National Defense tomorrow. #