NR0714: On Tiglaos' redbaiting and pro-GMA rallies on Saturday

From the Office of Anakpawis Rep. Crispin Beltran
News Release July 14, 2004

Tiglao’s red-baiting threatens safety of anti-Arroyo
protestors; Saturday pro-GMA rallies a parody of the
people’s genuine sentiments

Anakpawis Representative Crispin Beltran today slammed
anew Presidential Management Staff chief Rigoberto
Tiglao, saying that the latter was again resorting to
red-baiting in his attempts to discredit the massive
anti-Arroyo protests. Tiglao has been quoted as saying
that many of the participants of yesterday’s
successful Ayala rallies demanding Pres. Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo’s resignation and removal from office
were ‘communist rabble-rousers.’

Beltran said that Tiglao’s communist labeling of the
participants can and most likely will be used by the
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and not just the
Philippine National Police (PNP) to justify the use of
violent force against the protestors.

"Tiglao has communists on the brain. He is constantly
preoccupied with them, so much so that every rallyist
he sees he automatically calls communist," he said.
"This is clearly an attempt on the part of Tiglao and
his boss Pres. Arroyo to demonize the protests. On the
one hand, we have justice secretary Raul Gonzales
issuing threats of sedition against those who protest
and speak out against Pres. Arroyo, and on the other
hand, there’s Tiglao saying the protests are
communist-led. Between these two, the reputation of
the Arroyo administration as a politically repressive
government is affirmed time and again" he said.

In the meantime, the veteran labor leader said that
the demonstrations scheduled by pro-administration
lawmakers and groups on Saturday will only be a show
of hypocrisy and a betrayal of the public’s interests.

"The administration and its allies will again be
dipping into public funds to steamroll these supposed
displays of support for the corrupt and illegitimate
administration of Pres. Arroyo. Their rallies will be
a grotesque parody of genuine expressions of the
public’s sentiments. Die-hard pro-Arroyo lawmakers
have essentially served as foot-soldiers of the
administration, passing legislative measures and laws
that reflect the anti-poor and anti-people economic
and political agenda of the executive. Filipinos have
long been subjected to laws that attack their economic
welfare and endanger the very survival of millions,
among them the infamous tax measures so recently
rail-roaded by Arroyo’s allies in Congress."

Beltran said that he has no doubt that the Saturday
pro-GMA rallies will not convince the public of Pres.
Arroyo’s right to remain president, much less her
sincerity to serve the people. "What alternatives are
the pro-Arroyo die-hards giving the public – more
years of corrupt, inept and politically-repressive
leadership under Macapagal-Arroyo? They keep citing
the rule of law, but Pres. Arroyo herself is a massive
law-breaker, and the corruption charges against her
and members of her own family are numerous," he
concluded.#