Kabataan Partylist

Junior officers urged to speak up vs military electioneering

The Kabataan Partylist today said massive electoral fraud has already begun to take place less than a week before election day with no less than the AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon serving as its main operator.

The youth partylist accused of the Garci general of masterminding the new plot to rig the results of the 2007 midterm elections dubbed as Oplan Mercury Rising which was recently disclosed by an election watchdog.

“History is repeating itself. The same personalities who figured prominently in the massive vote rigging in 2004 rigging are also the ones being accused of electioneering in this elections,” Kabataan Partylist President and First Nominee Raymond Palatino said.

“Unfortunately, it will be easier for election operators in the military to manipulate the outcome of this elections with Gen. Esperon at the helm of AFP,” he added.

Palatino said Gen. Esperon’s continued stay in power will continue to cast doubts over the neutrality of the military and the credibility and integrity of the upcoming polls.

“For as long as Gen. Esperon remains the front man and the main operator of the AFP, the youth and the public cannot hope for a truly clean and honest 2007 elections.”

Meanwhile, Palatino called on patriotic junior officers and rank and file soldiers to come out and speak up against military electioneering.

“We call on our fellow youth and patriotic officers to defend democracy and the integrity of the upcoming elections. Let us not allow these election operators at the chain of command to use the military establishment to manipulate the outcome of this elections.”

Slams illegal arrest, detention of organizer in Ormoc

Kabataan party-list, the leading youth party-list participating in the elections, is set to hold an Espana-wide noise barrage later this afternoon for clean and honest elections.

The activity dubbed, “Kalampagin ang Espana: Tie A Blue Ribbon against electoral fraud and for youth representation in Congress” will commence at exactly 5:00 in the afternoon in various points along Espana in Manila.

Kabataan members and supporters from Welcome Rotonda, Blumentritt, Sampaloc, Lacson, UST, Miguelin, Riles, Algeciras and Trabajo Market will all converge along Espana with their noise-makers to register the youth party-list’s clamor for clean and honest elections.

“With barely a week before Election Day and killings and political repression still rampant, the youth and the people are given no reason to believe that massive electoral fraud and violence are at bay. We call on all concerned and democracy-loving citizens to join our crusade against electoral fraud and violence. Let us all fight for our stake for a promising future for the youth,” said Raymond Palatino, national president and nominee.

Palatino cited the most recent cases of political repression namely Makati Rep. Jejomar Binay’s ‘midnight suspension’ and the harassment against Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casino and his companions in a motorcade in Ormoc yesterday as omens of more rampant suppression of the political opposition ahead.

One of Casino’s companions, Rolando ‘Jun-Jun’ Cabato, 21 years old, and a Kabataan organizer in Ormoc, was illegally abducted by elements of the AFP’s 19th IB. He remains missing to date.

He also criticized the government’s lack of political will to put a stop to electoral-related violence which escalated these past weeks. More than 100 have already fallen victim to electoral-related violence.

“We cannot hope to have fraud-free and peaceful elections for as long as the military remains at the cudgels of supposed ‘peace and order’ operations for the elections. The government cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the fact that in some, in fact most, cases of repression and violence, the military is involved,” said Palatino.

Palatino announced that the youth party-list will commence with a ‘Three-Day Countdown’ for clean and honest elections from May 10-12. The countdown will kick-off with a massive ‘cyber-countdown’ of young Filipino bloggers who are also supporters of Kabataan.

On May 11, Kabataan party-list will stage a nationally-coordinated noise barrage. The countdown will end with a vigil in front of the Commission on Elections on May 12. ###.

http://www.gmanews. tv/story/ 40709/Youth- groups-hit- detention- of-protester

Militant youth groups cried foul Wednesday over the alleged harassment in the arrest and detention of a student leader who attended Tuesday’s May Day rally.

Youth groups led by the League of Filipino Students (LFS) and Kabataan Partylist staged a protest action in front of the Manila Police District headquarters in Manila Wednesday.

Police arrested Ken Mark Ambay, 23, a member of the Kabataan party-list group, while he was walking behind his friends along Morayta Avenue after the Labor Day rally along C.M. Recto Avenue.

A plainclothesman later identified to be from the Manila Police District grabbed and arrested him.

“When I resisted, the policeman along with two others shoved me so I fell on my back. They stepped on my neck and waist as they tightly placed handcuffs on my wrists,” recounted Ambay.

Ambay’s companions, also members of Kabataan party list, said the policemen who grabbed Ambay pointed guns at them as they approached Ambay to help him.

When Ambay was brought to the Manila Police Station 4, he was charged with assaulting the policemen that arrested him, an act Ambay denied.

“I could never have assaulted any policeman during the rally because it was a very peaceful demonstration. If I have hurt the ones that arrested me, I’m sorry but it was only natural for a person to resist when he is being grabbed and arrested for no reason,” he said.

Vencer Crisostomo, national chairman of the LFS and spokesman of Kabataan, described Ambay’s arrest as “a display of police brutality and power tripping.”

“We joined the Labor Day rally to fight for our rights, not to become victims of the denial of these rights by the government through the Philippine National Police,” said Crisostomo.

The groups said they are planning to file complaints against the policemen who arrested Ambay, saying that they shall not tolerate such events to occur. - GMANews.TV

More cases of illegal detention against members of progressive partylists feared as elections comes near

The Kabataan Partylist today condemned the arbitrary arrest and illegal detention of one of its coordinators Ken Ambay following the Labor Day celebrations.

Ambay, 21, and a student of the University of the Philippines Manila, was with other UP Manila students in front of a fast food store near Morayta when two men in plain clothes apprehended him and had him handcuffed.

When Ambay’s companions tried to help him, the two men brought out their pistols and started aiming their gun at them.

“When we began to question why did they handcuff him and why were they taking him, they threatened to shoot anyone who would come near and help Ken,” Mariche Hermosa, also a UP Manila student and one of Ambay’s companions.

Ambay was initially brought to a police precint in the area and was immediately transferred to the Manila Police Headquarters in United Nations Avenue. The two arresting men were later on identified as Inspector Dexter Versola and PO1 Christopher Amistoso. The two claimed that Ambay was identified as one of the assailants who mugged a certain PO2 Raul Gumiran who was not with the officers during the arrest.

“This is a clear case of harassment against Kabataan Partylist.Their accusation against our coordinator Ken Ambay is baseless and fabricated, and is intended to harass members and coordinators. We are calling for the immediate release of Ken Ambay,” Kabataan Partylist President Raymond Palatino said.

Palatino also appealed to the Commission on Human Rights and the Commission on Elections to conduct their own investigation of the arbitrary arrest and detention of Ambay.

“We fear that this might lead to more cases of arbitrary arrest, detention and harassment against Kabataan and other progressive partylist groups who are known critics of this administration.”

Meanwhile, Palatino said Kabataan Partylist is planning to file counter charges against the arresting officers for violations of their own standard procedures and for physical assault and threat perpetrated against Ambay and his companions.

Troop deployment will aggravate, not curb, poll violence

Kabataan Party-list, the only youth party-list participating in the May polls, today stressed that more army checkpoints and troop deployments will not curb but aggravate poll-related violence.

The youth party-list delivered this statement following President Gloria Arroyo’s order for troops to ‘assist’ the Philippine National Police to stop poll violence.

“We are finding it very hard to grasp Pres. Arroyo’s logic. We think that DOJ Sec. Gonzales may be rubbing on her; it is twisted and downright insensitive. How can she say that the military’s more active role in the elections will curb violence when illegal troop deployment has been tainting the credibility of the election process at the onset?”, said Raymond Palatino, national president and nominee.

“This is what happens when we have an administration which unthingkingly applies militarist measures to every conceived national problem,” said Palatino.

Palatino added that it is the job of the Commission on Elections and the Philippine National Police to ensure that no blood be shed this election period.

“The implementation of the ‘gun-ban’, for instance, need not be used as justification by the administration to employ army intervention in the elections. It is a job for the Comelec and unarmed PNP to strictly implement. But these past few weeks, we have been hearing of gun-related poll violence in the news and what has the Comelec done? Nothing.,” said Palatino.

“We are also very uncomfortable with the knowledge that AFP-manned checkpoints will be put up in so-called election hot spots. We have not forgotten the AFP’s involvement in the Hello Garci scandal. The way we see it, AFP intervention will not only aggravate poll violence but will also provide a condition for massive electoral fraud,” Palatino said. ###

Gov’t job programs promote underemployment

Various youth and student groups led by Kabataan Partylist joined the Labor Day protest in Liwasang Bonifacio today to criticize the government’s failure to provide adequate jobs for new college graduates and solve the growing unemployment and underemployment problem in the country.

Kabataan Partylist President Raymond Palatino blamed the government’s economic policies and labor programs for the insufficiency of job opportunities in the country, saying that graduates nowadays are only left with three choices – either to go abroad, accept jobs which do not match their degrees or become idle.

“Every year, fresh college graduates are confronted with the same problem of job scarcity, but our government’s response has always been for the former to look for greener pastures abroad or accept its job offerings which largely fall short of any acceptable standard or measure for anyone who finished tertiary education.”

“The sad reality is, after paying large sum of money for college education, the few who manage to finish higher education are forced to any kind of job or work as caregiver or domestic helpers abroad just to earn money,” Palatino pointed out.

Palatino added that the government’s own job programs are contributing to the increasing jobs-graduates mismatch and underemployment in the country.

“The government wants to create an illusion that it is solving the unemployment problem, yet the nature of jobs that it is offering our graduates, which mostly are call center or tourism jobs, do not match their undergraduate degrees. Besides, these jobs are unsustainable for graduates who want to have a permanent career.”

He cited a study conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry which shows that Filipino call center workers stay an average of 2.5 years on the job, compared with about eight to nine months for Americans, which is also on a part-time basis. Filipino call center agents only receive a fifth of their American counterparts’ salaries.

“Even call centers confess that while there seems to be a large pool of English-speaking college graduates being churned out by Philippine schools, only a few qualify. Out of 100 applicants in a call center firm, for instance, only 5 to 10 are hired.”

“If the Arroyo government is really sincere in its promise of generating six to 10 million jobs by 2010, it should address the problem of unemployment and underemployment with concrete and long-term plans and not with knee-jerk solutions,” Palatino said. ###

PHOTOS AND TEXT BY KATHERINE P. TOLARBA AND GLOREI ALLELU N. LINDIO
Bulatlat

Wearing self-made clothes that portray different issues during elections, Kabataan Party-List members ramped on stage along Araneta Avenue, Tatalon, Quezon City.

The April 24 fashion show featured different election-related issues that hound the May 2007 elections and the youth’s tasks to ensure clean and honest elections.

“It is a colorful, creative, entertaining youthful kind of campaigning at the same time educational,” said Raymond Palatino, the youth party-list group’s first nominee.

Kabataan Party-List is the only accredited progressive youth party-list group participating in the 2007 elections.

With its new brand of politics — politics of hope, struggle and change — Kabataan Party-List seeks to usher in new blood into Philippine politics, away from the kind of leadership that the traditional politicians and dynasties have for the government.

“We need a change,” Palatino said. “The nation needs young, vibrant and innovative minds that will restore integrity and morality in governance and lead the nation to genuine progress and social change.”

The Kabataan Party-List fashion show portrayed the political repression in the country. Bulatlat

Against troop deployment, electoral fraud; For youth representation in Congress

Kabataan Party-list, the leading and only youth party-list participating these elections, today called on its constituents and the public to ‘Tie a blue ribbon’ against troop deployment and electoral fraud; and for youth representation in Congress.

The youth party-list made the announcement in its weekly ‘noise barrage for clean and honest 2007 elections’ held in Philcoa, Quezon City later this afternoon.

“We are gratified by the fact that our efforts did not lead to naught. The present awareness and vigilance of the youth and public against AFP meddling and efforts by the executive branch to destroy the electoral process, particularly the party-list system, are results of our never-ending information campaign against electoral fraud and violence,” said Raymond Palatino, National President and Nominee of Kabataan Party-list.

“With only over two weeks before the elections, we are in the homestretch and it has come to a point where we are appealing to voters to really, truly look throw in their weight into the campaign against electoral fraud and violence. May 14 is not the finish line. We still have a long way ahead in ensuring a truly clean and honest 2007 elections,” Palatino said.

Kabataan Party-list also announced that it will embark on a “15-day Road Trip” starting today, April 27, for a broader, more massive campaign against electoral fraud and for youth representation in Congress.

Nominees and supporters of the youth party-list are set to tie blue ribbons along posts and establishment in Timog, Tomas Morato and Malate later tonight.

“If the AFP and PNP is launching their own so-called PR blitz, Kabataan Party-list will have its own information-dissemination campaign to unleash. Who will be more credible? Let the youth and the public decide.”

“Let’s paint the town blue,” Palatino said. ###

Here are the downloadable .PDF files of the controversial memo and partylist campaign plan from the Office of External Affairs directly under Malacanang.

Read the documents:

OEA Memorandum
Party-list campaign plan

Read the pcij report here.

Related KABATAAN statements and articles here.

The Kabataan Partylist today called on government-sponsored partylist groups Agbiag, Babae Ka, LYPAD and Kalahi to give up their electoral bid out of delicadeza.

“These groups should at least have the decency to drop out of the partylist race and let genuine and independent partylist groups contend for representation in Congress,” Kabataan Partylist President Raymond Palatino said.

“If they still have some degree of self-respect left, they should no longer wait for a disqualification from the Commission on Elections to withdraw from the elections,” he added.

Palatino said this new development in the partylist elections should compel COMELEC to seriously look into the matter and seek the immediate disqualification of these pseudo-partylist organizations.

“If COMELEC is really serious in ensuring the credibility of the upcoming polls, it should immediately declare these OEA-initiated partylist groups ineligible.”

He said COMELEC’s failure to act on this matter is tantamount to being the Arroyo government’s unwilling accomplice in bastardizing the partylist elections.

“COMELEC has not yet recovered from the serious blows on credibility that it suffered from allegations of massive electoral fraud in the last elections. This new allegation of irregularities in the partylist elections could further erode the remaining confidence of the electorate on COMELEC and on the electoral system.”

Palatino added that COMELEC should also investigate other partylist groups that are being associated with Armed Forces of the Philippines and local political dynasties that are allied with the administration.

“Malacanang apparently is not the only one fielding or funding partylist groups in this elections. Local politicians or local warlords have also established bogus partylist organizations.”

Palatino added that some established political dynasties have already penetrated the partylist system by forming partylist groups in order to get more pork barrel funds for personal enrichment.

“Instead of empowering the poor, the partylist system is now being used by traditional politicians to extend their sphere of influence.”

He added that legitimate party-list groups are “virtually defenseless” against this blatant form of intrusion on the part of the government.

“This is not just a ‘bastardization’ of the partylist system. It’s a clear case of injustice and disenfranchisement and an insult to those whose interests and voices remain unrepresented in Congress.”

“In the process, genuine partylist groups are the ones being “marginalized” in a system supposedly created to give representation to marginalized segments of our society.”

The country’s leading youth partylist group today denounced the President’s Office for External Affairs for planning to subvert the partylist elections by directly organizing and financing at least five fake partylists.

“Young Filipinos have wanted a partylist representative as early as 2004 but the Hello Garci operations favoring Mrs. Arroyo and pro-Arroyo partylist groups cheated us of victory. Now the OEA wants nine to 12 seats by hook or by crook — the administration wants to have a repeat of Hello Garci to cheat genuine partylists and favor pro-Arroyo fakes,” said Kabataan Partylist nominee Enrico Almonguerra.

In a memorandum dated Oct. 2006, the OEA’s Asst. Sec. Marcelo T. Fariñas, head of the agency’s Special Concerns Group, proposed to President Arroyo full administration support for “partylist groups ascertained to be pro-administration and ensure the winning of nine to 12 seats in the House.” The amount of P5.5-million was requested to cover the period of Oct.-Dec. 2006 for five to eight pro-Arroyo partylists.

The OEA memorandum identified the pro-Arroyo partylists as follows: Babae Ka formed by OEA Director Nerissa Garcia, Lypad Partylist organized by Director Melvin Mitra, and Kalahi initiated by Director Poe Gratela. Others named in the document were the Alliance of Neo-Conservatives, Abono, Kasangga and Aging Pinoy.

“We call on all young voters to be vigilant, shun the fakes and support Kabataan Partylist,” said Almonguerra. “These fakes will only represent GMA, not the youth who want good government and legislation for education, employment and empowerment.”

“Lypad actually stands for Liars to the Youth, Paid Arroyo Defenders. We are sure the young voters will reject them,” said Almonguerra who said that the first nominee of Lypad went to a son of Team Unity senatorial candidate Jamalul Kiram III.

Kabataan first ran for partylist representation in 2004 but fell short by 30,000 votes to obtain the two percent requirement for one seat. The Hello Garci telephone conversations included the padding of votes for pro-Arroyo partylists.

“While genuine partylists labor everyday to mount a credible nationwide campaign to get elected fair and square, President Arroyo’s favored partylists are having a fun time wasting away public funds,” said Almonguerra.

Almonguerra said President Arroyo may be impeached if her administration is proven to have meddled in the partylist system.

“Mrs. Arroyo has a reverse Midas touch. She has sabotaged many institutions like the presidency, the military and police, and the Lower House. Now, she wants to touch the partylist system and turn it into shit,” said the youth leader. “We won’t allow that to happen.”

Youth partylist seeks Recom’s disqualification
Reference: Kabataan Partylist Caloocan City Chapter

Members of Kabataan Partylist in Caloocan City today picketed outside the residence of reelectionist Caloocan City Mayor Recom Echiverri to protest the detention and harassment of five of its members.

The youth complainants said they were subjected to verbal abuse, harassment and illegal detention and one of them even experienced physical attack from Mayor Echiverri himself.

The victim, who refused to give his name for security reasons, said they were just posting Kabataan campaign materials along Tirona St. in Bagong Barrio, Caloocan in the early hours of April 14 when several policemen apprehended them and forced them in a van.

The complainant said they were readily arrested by the police officers after being caught removing a poster of Echiverri that was covering a Kabataan streamer earlier placed in the area.

“Bumaba kaadad yung mga pulis at pilit kaming pinasakay sa van. Nung tumanggi kami, tinutukan nila kami ng .45 at baby armalite at sinabihang ‘matigas kayo, gusto n’yong palambutin naming kayo?’ (The policemen quickly alighted the vehicle and told us to enter the van. When we refused, they pointed a 45 caliber pistol and a baby armalite at us and said “matigas kayo, gusto n’yong palambutin naming kayo?”),” the complainant narrated.

Instead of bringing them to a precint, he said they were brought to the residence of Echiverri and were presented before the incumbent mayor.

“Pilit niya kaming pinapaamin na may pulitikong nasa likod numg ginawa naming pagbabaklas sa poster niya. Binatukan pa nga niya ako. (He was forcing us to admit that there was a politician behind all of these things. He even hit me in the head.”

He said the Echiverri’s interrogation lasted for an hour before he asked the policemen to imprison them.

They were only released around 9 o’clock in the morning when a parent of one of the apprehended youth appealed to Echiverri.

“Dapat yung insidente na ito ay magbukas sa mata ng mga taga-Caloocan sa klase ng mayor na mayroon tayo rito. Kung kaya niyang gawin ito sa mga kabataan, kayang-kaya rin niya itong gawin sa iba (This incident should be an eye-opener to the people of Caloocan of the kind of mayor we have right now. If he can do these things to ordinary youth, he certainly can do it to other people.)”

He said they are planning to file a formal complaint against Echiverri and seek his possible disqualification for his conduct.

“Ang mga taong katulad niya ay di na dapat mahalal muli. Di na kami papayag na magdusa na naman ang mga taga-Caloocan sa korupsyon at pang-aabuso sa kapangyarihan sa susunod na tatlong taon sa ilalim ni Recom (People like him don’t deserve another term. We will not allow ourselves to suffer from corruption and abuse of power for the next three years under Recom).”

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view_article.php?article_id=61223

Bayan Muna, youth party protest detention of two members
By Jolene Bulambot
Inquirer
Last updated 11:18pm (Mla time) 04/18/2007

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Bearing placards, 20 members of two party-list groups protested the alleged abduction and detention of their two members in front of the city courthouse.

The members of the Bayan Muna and the Kabataan party-list groups held a brief silent protest in front of the Marcelo Fernan Hall of Justice in uptown Cebu City to call the public’s attention to the detention of Beethoven Avila, 28, Cebu City South district coordinator of the

Avila said unidentified men also took him into a waiting van upon his arrival from Cagayan City at Pier 5 at 8 a.m. on April 12.

He said he was hit several times on the thighs and the body while being interrogated.

“Still blindfolded and handcuffed, they hit me on the chest, head and thigh as they wanted to force me to admit involvement with the revolutionary armed movement which I vehemently denied,” Avila said in his affidavit. He also named Naldoza as one of his interrogators.

Both Daño and Avila said they were brought to the Toledo City hall on April 13 and were later released to the Regional Intelligence and Investigation Division (RIID) of the Police Regional Office in the evening.

Senior Superintendent Augusto Marquez, the RIID chief, said the military endorsed Daño and Avila to their unit after the two were arrested based on a warrant of arrest for murder charges.

Marquez, however, said both activists were later released after the Regional Trial Court in Toledo City remanded the murder case to the city prosecutor for re-investigation and temporarily set aside the arrest warrants.

However, Marquez refused to name the military unit that endorsed Daño and Avila to his office.

Bayan Muna Cebu secretary general Armand Perez said they would pursue the filing of criminal and administrative charges against some military officials for kidnapping and electioneering before the Ombudsman this week.

Related stories:
Soldiers grab party-list staff (Sun Star Cebu)
Legitimate arrest, says police: Militant leaders claim abduction (The Freeman Cebu)
Probe on alleged abduction of 2 militant leaders urged (The Freeman Cebu)
Party-list groups ready harassment charges vs. military (The Freeman Cebu)

Garci General will taint credibility of May polls

Giving street protests a new twist, members of Kabataan Partylist together with hip-hop groups transformed campaign slogans and speeches into rap music to convey the youth’s demand for the immediate dismissal of Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon.

Wearing “bling-blings” that spell out their demands and holding placards written in graffiti style, Kabataan Partylist said the dismissal of General Esperon, who figured prominently in the Hello Garci scandal in the 2004 elections, is necessary in ensuring a clean and honest elections.

Kabataan Partylist president and first nominee Raymond Palatino said rap music has always been a music of protest which was also used during the anti-slavery movement and civil rights movement in the United States.

“Rap music shows both the youth’s creativity and innovativeness in using words and at the same time serves as an effective medium in conveying the youth’s clamor for honest and orderly elections,” Palatino explained.

Various student and youth leaders also delivered their speeches using rap to further explain General Esperon’s role in the massive electoral fraud in the last elections and his possible involvement in new efforts to rig the results of the upcoming polls.

Singing “Esperon, operator sa halalan, utak pa sa dayaan,” the group said Gen. Esperon was one of the four generals mentioned in the Hello Garci tapes which suggest their possible involvement in the alleged manipulation of election results.

Two stanzas in Kabataan’s main rap jingle spoke of the general’s role in the implementation of the Oplan Bantay Laya 2 which led to the deployment of military troops and alleged electioneering of military personnel.

“Now Bantay Laya binaba, mil. deployment sa Maynila, nananakot naninira, sa ayaw magpakatuta.”

“Harassment, abduction, killing, militarization, kahit labag sa Constitution, Army aktibo sa election.”

“It is for these reasons that we deem it improper and highly suspect that Gen. Esperon remain at the leash of the AFP during this electoral period.”

“For as long as Gen. Esperon remains the front man and the main operator of the AFP, the youth and the public cannot hope for a truly clean and honest 2007 elections.”

A Genuine Call from Youth and Students for Clean and Honest 2007 Elections
Dismiss Esperon!
Garci General will taint credibility of May polls

Kabataan Party-list, the sole youth party-list participating in the May polls, calls on the government to immediately dismiss and relieve Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon from office.

For as long as Gen. Esperon remains the front man and main operator of the AFP, the youth and the public cannot hope for a truly clean and honest 2007 elections.

It is not a secret how Gen. Esperon has managed to get himself implicated in numerous cases of electoral fraud, repression, violence and corruption.

To this date, his involvement in the Hello Garci scandal remains unresolved.

Gen. Esperon was one of the four generals mentioned in the Hello Garci tapes which suggest their possible involvement in the alleged manipulation of election results. His appointment as AFP Chief of Staff led many to believe that he was chosen for his “instrumental role” in ushering Pres. Gloria Arroyo to victory in the 2004 elections.

In fact, when Gen. Esperon who served as the AFP deputy chief of staff for operations and deputy commander of Task Force HOPE (Honest, Orderly and Peaceful Elections) in the May 2004 elections was promoted as Philippine Army Chief in 2005, critics attested that he was being ‘rewarded for services rendered.’

Consequently, these caused a controversial delay in his appointment as AFP Chief of Staff. The Commission on Appointments’ defense panel deferred Gen. Esperon’s promotion to the rank of leiutenant general. The CA said that the AFP had to “clear” Gen. Esperon first of his involvement in the Hello Garci scandal.

The fact-finding report which was kept from the public for six months cleared Gen. Esperon of the accusations but speculations and apprehensions remain as to his real involvement in the controversy. As a matter of fact, his being implicated in the Hello Garci scandal remains a big factor in the deep plunge of his trust ratings in the latest surveys.

Gen. Esperon is also the main author and operator of Oplan Bantay Laya 2, the government and military’s counter-insurgency plan.

Oplan Bantay Laya 2 is the main reason behind the unexplained and illegal deployment of military troops in schools and communities. Despite protests from students, residents, opposition candidates, progressive party-lists and concerned citizens, Gen. Esperon remains steadfast in justifying the presence of army troops in urban areas. He had even blatantly stated that the deployment is part and parcel of Oplan Bantay Laya 2 despite its clear violation of the Memorandum of Agreement between the Commission on Elections and AFP prohibiting any military involvement in the electoral process.

Gen. Esperon has also proven time and again his loyalty lies not for the Filipino public but for those responsible for his appointment.

He is one of the administration’s staunchest defenders in the issues of political repression and extra-judicial killings – both with the military as prime suspects and perpetrators.

It is for these reasons that we, youth, students and concerned young citizens, deem it improper and highly suspect that Gen. Esperon remain at the leash of the AFP during this electoral period.

We reiterate that for as long as Gen. Esperon remains AFP Chief of Staff, the youth and the general public cannot be assuaged of misgivings about massive electoral fraud and violence these coming May polls.

We call on the government to refrain from tainting the electoral process by immediately dismissing Gen. Esperon as AFP Chief of Staff.

Along with this is that demand for the immediate pull out of military troops from schools and communities.

We also call on all democracy and peace-loving youth and citizens to unite with us in this noble campaign for a fraud-free and non-violent May 2007 elections.