Rally condemns killings from Marcos to GMA

Rally condemns killings from Marcos to GMA

TORONTO –About 50 protesters gathered on Thursday (Sept. 21) infront of Our Lady of Lourdes church on Sherbourne St. to denounce the escalating political killings in the Philippines.

The event featured a skit that highlighted the killings of unarmed activitsts, peasant and labor leaders, youth and students, women, pastors, priests, lawyers and ethnic minorities from the Marcos regime to the present regime of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Organizefd by Philippine Network for Justice and Peace, SIKLAB, Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino, and other groups, the rally was part of an international day of protest with simultaneous demonstrations in other parts of the world and the Philippines.

Pictures of the victims of extradjudicial killings and information about their deaths were displayed on placards brandished by the participants. A wooden box resembling a coffin , and tombstones were placed on the ground while candles were lit to symbolize the deaths of the victims.

Speakers took turns in detailing some cases of the killings reportedly perpetrated by the military and police forces under the present Arroyo regime which has reached 755 killed and 184 disappeared since 2001 when Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed the presidency.

Among the speakers were representatives from the Filipino youth all over Canada who were currently in Toronto for a conference, representatives from Overseas Filipino Workers, labor and social justice activists, community organizations and others.

While the rally was going on, passersby from a nearby St. Jamestown community stopped to watch the event.