Arroyo "Lifts" 1017 by People's Demand; But De Facto Martial Law Still In Practice, Protests Won't Stop

While news of Malacanang's so-called lifting of Presidential Proclamation 1017 has reached the United States, Filipino-Americans and U.S. allies are not swallowing it."Proclamation 1017 was a major violation on Arroyo's part and she felt the popular condemnation of the people as soon as she issued it. In fact, it has made her even more unpopular as the protest actions on the streets increased because of it. Now she is calling for a lift to merely save her own skin. But the de facto martial law policies and laws she has been pushing all this time against the people are still in place. The repression is still intact. The people's call for Arroyo's ouster will continue," stated BAYAN USA chair Kawal Ulanday.Ulanday affirmed Filipino groups and American allies under BAYAN USA will not lessen their resolve to launch US-based actions and build popular support for Arroyo's ouster and the establishment of a transition council in her place."The lifting of PP 1017 is a testament to the power of the Filipino people who did not bog down even when it was declared," he stated.He also reiterated the Filipino-American alliance's demand for a full release of political detainees Crispin Beltran of Anakpawis party list, Joel Virador of Bayan Muna, Dennis Maga of the Gloria Step Down Movement, and many others who were unjustly arrested days after PP 1017 was declared."Arroyo's targeting of progressive party list leaders and opposition leaders is obviously not ceasing either, proving her sentiments with this so-called lift are completely insincere," Ulanday continued.BAYAN USA pointed the aggressive implementation of the Calibrated Preemptive Response (CPR) by military and police forces against peaceful assemblies in public are also not backing down in tandem with the supposed lift."Five years of damage by the Arroyo administration has been done. Since her ascendance into office in 2001, Arroyo has become the country's most infamous anti-patriot continuously working against the interest of the Filipino people and bowing down to the dictates of foreigners. The united movement of patriotic and peace-loving Filipinos on the streets is a force she cannot withstand. If she believes she can sustain her position just because of this lift she is in for a rude awakening," Ulanday ended.References:Kawal Ulanday, Chair, BAYAN USA, email: chair@bayanusa.orgBerna Ellorin, Media Officer, BAYAN USA, email: ny@bayanusa.org