Buo at hindi matitinag na diwa ng pag-asa at paglaban
Sa gitna ng kaguluhan at sa mukha ng matinding pananalanta ng gobyerno, nakakatuwang makita ang mga Kasama na nakangiti at masaya, kahit pa ang tinatalakay ay mabibigat na usapin. Patunay lang na hindi basta-basta magagapi ang diwang mapanlaban na siya ring diwa ng hindi maiibsang pag-asa ng mga nakikibaka para sa tunay na pagbabago.
For the last week, the progressive mass movement has been busy protecting the votes of the progressive party-lists of Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Gabriela Women’s Party, Kabataan Party and Suara Bangsa Moro. Despite the severe lack of money and other resources, the PPLs (and not to forget the relentless attacks against their members and leaders in the form of harassment, abduction and extrajudicial killings as well as the filing of criminal charges against our lawmakers), the PPLs were able to launch a formidable electoral campaign.
Up to now volunteers and members of the PPLs are tirely monitoring the election results and the seemingly endless incidents fraud wherein often it’s a minimum of 500 votes that are being shaved off from any or each of the PPLs. Pollwatchers from Kabataan Party were abducted and killed; and only yesterday, Sunday, the 10th nominee of Anakpawis and BAYAN-NCR, KMU-NCR chair Roy Velez escaped his would-be assassins when they surrounded his apartment building in Las Pinas. Ka Roy broke a window and crawled out, jumped from the third floor apartment where he and his wife lived and landed on the roof of their nextdoor neighbor. From there, his neighbors who were all organized Anakpawis supporters smuggled him out of the community from under the noses of no less than a dozen armed men. He was rescued also with the help of ABC-5 crew members who responded to the alert of Anakpawis.
Since Macapagal-Arroyo ascended to power, activists have been looking over their shoulder more often than usual, always on the lookout for motorcycle-riding men. This election season has been no different: if anything, the alert level is higher.
One major reason why Macapagal-Arroyo’s candidates should be defeated in the senatorial race is because a senate dominated by the Opposition will be more likely to be an ally in the fight against extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and the over-all worsening of the civil, political and human rights situation in the country.
The electoral campaign of the progressive party-lists has also been a campaign against the killings; against the brutality the Armed Forces of the Philippines continue to unleash against civilians and members of militant people’sorganizations and the progressive party-lists.
As we count and tally each vote the PPLs receive, we also remember the sacrifice made by our supporters — those who have not only their time and effort, but their very lives to ensure that the PPLs ‘ votes are protected, but also to make sure that the PPLs maintain their high ranking in the party-list elections.
This afternoon, Ka Satur, Ka Paeng, Teddy and Ka Liza visited Ka Bel in his hospital detention room at the Philippine Heart Center. Nat Santiago, Bayan Muna sec gen gave a brief but substantial update on what’s happening at the national canvassing over at the PICC. The leaders also shared info on the various means of fraud being perpetrated against the PPLs, and what volunteers and supporters all over the country were doing to expose and correct them (mahirap).
No one is waiting, everyone is working and watching and taking action. Kapag hindi agad kumilos, mas matindi ang magiging epekto ng pandurugas ng gobyerno. As the votes against the Genuine Opposition are being thrown down the dustbin, so are the votes of the progressive party-lists. Kailangang manatiling mapagbantay, kailangang maging maagap. 
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Am rereading all of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman comic books. I often feel slightly woozy and daydreamy because of this. If I could talk to Dream and Death, jeez, I’d have so many things to ask and ask of them…
