Palace ’special operations’ in party-list elections bared
CONFIDENTIAL documents allegedly emanating from Malacañang were divulged to the public by militant party-list groups today, depicting an apparent counter-scheme of the Arroyo administration to prevent “leftist and left-leaning party-list organizations” from gaining more seats in the House of Representatives this coming election.
The documents, presented during a joint press conference by Migrante, Gabriela Women’s Party, Anakpawis, Kabataan Party and Suara Bangsamoro, seem to bolster claims by party-list groups, including Akbayan, that some of those accredited by the Commission on Elections to vie for party-list seats in May are indeed connected with the government in terms of support, assistance, personnel and program.
The first document, a secret memorandum dated October 16, 2006, addressed to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and coursed through her special assistant, Atty. Erlyn de Leon, informs the president of the setting up of the Office of External Affairs Special Concerns Group (OEA-SCG) headed by Assistant Secretary Marcelo Fariñas II. The group, the memo said, will focus on the participation of Malacañang’s grassroots and allied NGOs and people’s organizations in the 2007 congressional elections.
Read the OEA memo and the attached party-list counter-plan.
The memo also outlined the objectives of OEA-SCG’s electoral campaign, which are as follows:
- Provide full support to several Comelec accredited party-list groups that are ascertained to be pro-administration and ensure the winning of nine (9) to twelve (12) seats in the House of Representatives;
- Form a party-list bloc that will support the plans and programs of the administration and help in countering destabilization moves by the opposition as well as left-leaning party-list groups;
- Contribute in the overall campaign to substantially lower the number of votes of leftist and left-leaning party-list organizations, and in the process reduce the seats of these anti-administration parties in the House of Representatives.
Attached to the memo is the supposed party-list campaign proposal that will provide support to the following four main party-list groups identified with the Arroyo administration:
- Agbiag! Timpuyog Ilocano (Agbiag!)
- Babae para sa Kaunlaran (Babae Ka)
- League of Youth for Peace and Development (LYPAD)
- Kalahi Advocates for Overseas Filipinos (KALAHI)
Two to five more party-list groups are being eyed for OEA-SCG’s campaign plan, possibly including a coalition of Muslim and indigenous peoples that are already registered party-list groups.
A proposed budget of P5.5 million was requested to cover expenses for the groups’ activities, which include organizational and consolidation meetings, operational support, conventions of Comelec accredited and pro-administration party-list groups. The said activities were supposed to have been conducted from October to December last year.
Funding assistance to OEA-SCG and other pro-administration party-list groups was also urgently requested, and which was to be taken from Arroyo’s intelligence funds.
Interviewed on ANC last March, Agbiag! and Babae Ka did not deny receiving assistance from the Office of External Affairs in setting up their organizations. Interestingly, Agbiag!’s secretary general is no less than Asec Fariñas.
Babae Ka spokesperson Sally Dagami, on the other hand, also admitted that the group counts OEA employees as members.
Akbayan has already sought the disqualification of Agbiag!, Babae Ka, LYPAD, and Kalahi, along with 12 other party-list groups it deems to have dubious backgrounds — Akbay Pinoy OFW-National, Aksyon Sambayanan (AKSA), Ahon Pinoy, Aging Pilipino Organization (Aging Pinoy), Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (ANAD), Aangat Tayo, Angat Ating Kabuhayan Pilipinas (ANAK), Barangay Association for National Advancement of Transparency (BANAT), Bantay, Biyaheng Pinoy, Kapatiran ng mga Na Kulong na Walang Sala (Kakusa), and Kasangga sa Kaunlaran.
It is clear from the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in its ruling on Ang Bagong Bayani v. Comelec (G.R. No. 147589, June 26, 2001) disqualifying Mamamayang Ayaw sa Droga (MAD) that party-list groups must not be associated with or funded by the government. The high court said:
The party or organization must not be an adjunct of, or a project organized or an entity funded or assisted by, the government.
“The participation of the government or its officials in the affairs of a party-list candidate is not only illegal and unfair to other parties, but also deleterious to the objective of the law: to enable citizens belonging to marginalized and underrepresented sectors and organizations to be elected to the House of Representatives,†the SC held.
The SC also stipulated the following qualifications to guide organizations participating in the party-list system of representation:
- The mainstream political party, sector, organization or coalition must represent the marginalized and underrepresented groups identified in Section 5 of Republic Act No. 7941 (the Party-List Act).
- The political party, sector, organization or coalition must represent the marginalized and underrepresented groups identified in Section 5 of RA 7941.
- Religious groups are prohibited from registering in the party-list system but members thereof are not prohibited from running for public office.
- A party or an organization must not be disqualified under Section 6 of RA 7941.
- The party must not only comply with the requirements of the law; its nominees must likewise do so.
- Not only the candidate party or organization must represent marginalized and underrepresented sectors; so also must its nominees.
- While lacking a well-defined political constituency, the nominee must likewise be able to contribute to the formulation and enactment of appropriate legislation that will benefit the nation as a whole.
Please allow us to post our media statement…
“Another propaganda scheme of another leftist organizationâ€
BABAE KA CATEGORICALLY DENIES GABRIELA’S ACCUSATION
WOMEN party-list Babae para sa Kaunlaran (BABAE KA) today categorically denied that it is a stooge of Malacañang even as it challenged Gabriela party-list to file a formal complaint.
Sally Dagami, BABAE KA chairperson, said that, “For the nth time, we want the Filipino people to know that BABAE KA party-list is not a Malacañang-backed organization. BABAE KA has not requested and has not received a single centavo from the government.â€
“Just like Akbayan’s, the accusation of Gabriela is another cheap-shot by another leftist organization that is aimed to generate media projection at our expense. The document that this so-called cause-oriented party have shown publicly is most probably a fabrication. BABAE KA knows nothing about this,†Dagami added.
Dagami stressed that she has never met an Assistant Secretary Marcelo Fariñas of the Office of External Affairs.
“I do not know Mr. Fariñas. In fact, this is the first time I heard of his name,†Dagami stated.
Ruth Vasquez, BABAE KA president, said that, “Mukhang isa na namang kuryente ito, to borrow media’s parlance. Kinukuryente ng Gabriela ang media sa inanunsyo nila.â€
“The document shown by Gabriela could be written by anybody. It could be a product of the dirty-tricks department of extremist organizations. Wala kaming alam sa mga pinagsasabi nila,†Vasquez explained.
Dagami challenged Gabriela to file formal complaints against BABAE KA “so that we could also file formal charges against the leaders of this group.â€
“Are these documents authentic? We should ask Rep. Masa where they got the alleged documents. Who gave it to them? If the said documents really exist, where are the original copies or at least certified true copies? We have the right to ask these questions and know about all these. Rep. Masa has lots of explaining to do,†Dagami said.###
BABAE KA CONDEMNS AKBAYAN
“Accusation is nothing but a cheap shot aimed at gathering media mileage at our expenseâ€
The Babae para sa Kaunlaran or BABAE KA condemns in the strongest possible words the unfounded accusation of Akbayan that the former is an “administration frontâ€. This is nothing but a cheap shot aimed at gathering media mileage at our expense and that of other legitimate party-list organizations.
BABAE KA is not a government-controlled party-list organization. BABAE KA is a legitimate organization existing since 2005 and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) before being accredited by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). It submitted all the requirements and went through the legal process. It has organizational presence in majority of the regions and provinces of the country.
As an organization, BABAE KA never received even a centavo of assistance from the Philippine government. It will support programs of government that it deems as pro-people. However, BABAE KA will be critical of programs that shall negatively affect Filipino women and the people, in general.
Unlike its accuser, BABAE KA has no political agenda or ideology except to advance the rights and welfare of women and the Filipinos, as a whole. BABAE KA views itself as a centrist organization and not a leftist or rightist coalition.
BABAE KA does not have multimillion pesos in campaign funds like AKBAYAN but it has the logistics garnered from its officers and members and the organizational network around the country that will guarantee a decent and possibly victorious campaign.
BABAE KA urges AKBAYAN leaders to be true to their written program and to stop engaging in gutter politics and mudslinging. BABAE KA also urges AKBAYAN to be brave enough and militant enough to admit its mistake and apologize publicly.
For more information, please visit the BABAE KA website at http://babaeka.tripod.com.
#####
Also our statement on Equal Opportunity Employment
PRESS RELEASE
19 APRIL 2007
Babae Ka to push for equal employment opportunity law
If you are a woman or a man and looking for a job, you will always see in the advertisements, “female, 20 to 35 years old†or “male, 25 to 40 years old†as one of the qualifications. Not anymore, that is if the proposal of women’s party-list Babae para sa Kaunlaran (Babae Ka) will be enacted by the 14th Congress of the Philippines.
Babae Ka chairperson Sally Dagami today announced that the group would prioritize the passage of the “equal employment opportunity law†which will ban discrimination by age, gender and religion in the process of employment.
“Discrimination in employment is illegal and immoral. It has been practiced in this country and the Department of Labor and Employment has done nothing about it. It is about time that this discrimination especially against women who are pregnant and all citizens who are above 35 years old be considered an offense punishable with imprisonment,†Dagami explained.
Ruth Vasquez, president of Babae Ka, stated that the group is finalizing research work on the preparation of a bill on equal employment opportunity.
“Given the chance we make it to Congress, this will be the very first proposed law that Babae Ka will file. The ‘Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 2007’ which will be patterned before the ‘Age Discrimination Act of 1967’ that was enacted by the Congress of the United States,†Vasquez said.
The proposal, Vasquez noted, will make it unlawful for any employer to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual or otherwise discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual’s age, gender and religion.
“In this proposed bill of Babae Ka, even the printing of any employment advertisement that will tend to be discriminatory to age, sex and religion shall be unlawful,†Vasquez added.
###