Arroyo Regime Has No Respect for Human Rights and Democracy

Arroyo Regime Has No Respect for Human Rights and Democracy

MANILA — When it comes to human rights and democracy, the Arroyo government never fails to provide ironies.

On the 20th anniversary of the 1986 People Power uprising that ousted the Marcos dictatorship, the Arroyo government placed the country under a state of national emergency, through Presidential Proclamation 1017. The office of the Daily Tribune, a Manila newspaper, was raided and the two major TV networks were guarded by soldiers. The Philippine National Police (PNP) tried to impose guidelines on news reporting, which, however, was blocked by journalists, human-rights advocates and people’s organizations. The “no permit, no rally” policy was strictly enforced resulting in violent dispersals of peaceful demonstrations. And the representatives of progressive partylist groups were hunted down resulting in the arrest of a representative of Anakpawis party, the late Crispin Beltran, and the House arrest of Bayan Muna Reps. Satur Ocampo, Teddy Casiño and Joel Virador, Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano, and Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Liza Maza.

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