Some 3,000 mostly farmers and tribesmen held a rally Sunday outside a military base in Davao City in southern Philippines and protested alleged widespread militarization and human rights violation in Mindanao.
The protesters also demanded the resignation of President Benigno Aquino and accused him of being the brains behind the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program which was declared as unconstitutional and illegal by the Supreme Court.
The rally outside the Eastern Mindanao Command headquarters, although peaceful, was well-guarded by policemen. The rallyists carried streamer and placards denouncing human rights violations by the military.
The protesters vowed to hold more street rallies to bring to the attention of the public various issues from scandals in the government to abuses by troops on civilians.
Capt. Alberto Caber, a spokesman for the Eastern Mindanao Command, dismissed all accusations against the military and branded them as communist propaganda. He said the rallyists should protest the widespread human rights violations and killings of innocent civilians by the communist rebel group New People’s Army.
“They (protesters) are mistaken and the military and the police and the democratic government are protecting the people, the civilians like them and they should protest the abuses committed by the NPA rebels who kill innocent civilians, attack private enterprises, extort money from the poor and robbed our people of their precious freedom and democracy,” Caber said.
Farmers and tribesmen protest outside the Eastern Mindanao Command military headquarters in Davao City in southern Philippines. (Kilab Multimedia)
http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/2014/07/farmers-tribesmen-protest-outside.html
It's the usual commie suspects again. The placards indicate that the group behind the protest action is the Bagong Alyansang Makabyan-Southern Mindanao Region (BAYAN-SMR//New Patriotic Alliance-Southern Mindanao Region). BAYAN is the main Communist Party of the Philippines umbrella front organization in the Philippines.
ReplyDeleteThis protest action appears to be part of a nationwide effort to mount anti-Aquino demonstrations in the run up to the President's State of the Nation Address (SONA) scheduled for July 28.
What appear to be CPP front groups also marched on the ancestral home of the Aquinos on Times Street, Quezon City on Sunday. Major demonstrations are scheduled to coincide with the SONA on Monday.