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“Unlike the traditional fiesta, where hospitality, generosity, and goodwill are encouraged among the whole community, Aquino’s banquet is depicted [in the effigy] as a lavishly sumptuous feast for a small circle of guests as the people wait for crumbs falling from the table.”
“The landlessness of peasants, the lack of decent wages and job opportunities, decent housing and basic social services are weighing down on the lives of the Filipino people and violate their socio-economic rights. Those who resist and work for change are met with political repression by the State. We want the peace negotiations resumed to help resolve such issues.” – International Conference for Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines
“My taxes are sent (here) for military aid. Money should build roads, should be given to health care, decent things for the people, not military aid,” says Ron Gochez of Union del Barro, Los Angeles.
“As people's lawyers, it is only fitting for NUPL to take the side of the people in their demand for their right to health, education, housing and other socio-economic rights." – Julian Oliva, National Union of Peoples' Lawyers – National Capital Region
“There are more than enough grounds for the rates to go down if regulators will really disallow the charging of questionable items such as the income taxes of the two water concessionaires.” – Renato Reyes, Bayan
"They (the poor) cannot go to any government authority – to the legislature, to the executive, to the Supreme Court – and demand that socio-economic rights be implemented," Puno said. “A right with no remedy is not a right at all.”
“The Aquino administration only puts at risk the lives of the people because the US government only wants to position their troops in our country with the objective of waging war against China and North Korea.” — Sheena Duazo, spokesperson for Bayan in Southern Mindanao
“Foot patrols (and) the checkpoints are 24/7. One of the stations at any one time should be conducting a checkpoint in the three entries to the city including the fourth from Samal Island.” — Chief Superintendent Jaime Morente, outgoing Regional Director of the Philippine National Police
"The US government has no intention of getting directly involved in the Philippines' territorial disputes… It is time that the Aquino government acknowledges this truth, instead of trying to spin the tale of the US as benevolent protectors."
“Aquino cannot dismiss torture victims as isolated cases, and not a government policy, because torture is resorted to all over the country as a component of its Oplan Bayanihan.” – Karapatan
The NPA said their “active counter-intelligence and subsequent operations” were meant to punish AFP units, especially the Civil Military Operations Battalion headed by Maj. Jake Obligado, for continuing to “encroach, settle and conduct psychological warfare and intelligence operations” in the villages of Paquibato District.
No one in the country can expect much difference in the next election. It should be more “exciting” as there will be more at stake, and the battle will be “winner take all”, but for the mass of people, even an economic trickle will not appear despite the likelihood of continued “growth” from which the ruling class and its political agents will continue to benefit, reaping the rewards of aggressive worker/peasant repression and unbelievable exploitation.
Aside from the PCOS machines, Smartmatic claims that it sold to the Comelec numerous equipment worth P1.8 billion, including 5,000 mobile satellite antennas (BGAN) and 680 VSATs for transmission of results to polling and totalization centers with little or no cellular coverage. “If these really had worked, why is it that some 30-percent of the PCOS machines still failed to transmit results on election day?” – KontraDaya
"Smartmatic and the Commission on Elections should be held accountable for non-compliance to and violations of automated election laws and the unconscionable expenses for a defective and non-transparent foreign-controlled voting technology" – Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares
“Who among the elected and losing candidates from the senatorial to the local level would know how many votes had they really garnered in this election? Or if the ranking of the senatorial candidates and party list groups accurately reflect their true votes?” – AES Watch
“Sadly, personality politics is still at play in the partylist contest. The system even goes to the extent that winnability hinges on traditional politicians’ endorsement and money.” – Carlos Isagani Zarate, Davao-based human rights lawyer and Bayan Muna second nominee
Sanchez said the raid in Tagum City as well as the ambush of government troops in both Tagum and Mawab town “is in line with the call of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines to intensify tactical offensives in order to seize more weapons and create more units of the People’s Army.”
Progressive party list groups are incredulous that they got too few votes even in areas where they have many chapter members.
Rene b. Azurin, author of “Hacking Our Democracy,” said at the AES Watch press conference that against historical trends, from the beginning to the lull in counting, the ranking of senatorial candidates did not change, even the differences between their votes were almost constant.
Read main story: ‘2013 elections a technological, political disaster’ – election watchdogs
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