BAGONG UPDATE

Paggbati mga kasama at kapatid sa paninindigan!

The National Council has been affirmed we are now 21 members in the Council:

Mindanao – 6 representatives:
Southern Mindanao – Louie Lampon
Western Mindanao – Fr. Rico Montano
Northern Mindanao – Jun Mabaso, Jr.
CARAGA – Glenn Bais
Socsargen
Central Mindanao Evhoy Villaruel
* ARMM – Yasmin Busran Lao

Visayas – 3 representatives
Eastern Visayas – Agustin Docena
Western Visayas – Boyet Areno
Central Visayas – Isidore Ancog / Lope Gasapo

NCR – Beth Yang

Luzon -
Southern Tagalog – Bernie Arragoza/Boy Marcelino
Central Luzon – Tootsie Herrera
Bicol Abang Mabolo

Execom – (formerly referred to as the at-large representations)
Dodo Macasaet
Cezar “Ange” Belangel
Jing Karaos
Oman Jiao
Ging Deles
Marl Ramirez
Dinky Soliman

We also have a consensus on our time line: It is agreed that:

August 15 ………… ……… . cut off date for submission of all registered voters to the
national secretariat for the data base

August 21 – 22………. ……..First Vote

September 5……….. ……..Final Vote

Kung kaya’t kailangan nating ituloy ang mga deliberations and discussion tungkol sa ating mga na-nominate na kandidato para sa pambansang antas. We need to conduct the deliberations and discussion to prepare for the first vote.

We have proposed guidelines for the discussion and deliberation for nominees for the national level.:

1) Members can participate in the voting process for the 2010 National Candidates, provided that:

a) they are registered and their registration was submitted to the National Secretariat database on or before August 15, 2009.

b) they are confirmed members by their provincial coordinator

c) have participated in at least one discussion/delibera tion on the nominees of the Change Politics Movement

*It is suggested that a record of attendance and the venue of the discussion be documented. A copy will be given to the provincial coordinator who will keep it and provide a copy to the national secretariat.

3) In the deliberation of candidates members are encouraged to invite resource persons or candidate’s representatives to attend their assemblies and forums. A supporter of the candidate among the membership could also serve as a resource person in the deliberation.

4) The Chang e Politics Movement criteria should always be used as the main basis in the deliberation of candidates.

5) Members who have information and data on any of Change Politics nominated candidates may freely distribute documents/materials supported by evidence or proof (anecdotal/testimon ial, documentary, object) that could be positive (supportive) or negative (incriminating) to a candidate.

As always, we should discourage personal attack on the candidate but instead encourage an objective evaluation and assessment on the track record, other important past actions and important factors about the candidate based on our criteria.

This process is intended to increase our capacity as citizens to engage in a democratic discussion with an open mind. Alam natin na may kanya kanya na tayong napupusuan mga kandidato kaya tayo ay nag uusap at debate upang mapaunlad ang ating kaalaman at kakayahang makapili ng mga kandidato na makakatulong sa atin baguhin ang pulitika sa susunod na mga taon hanggang 2016.Sa ganitong paraan ating din itinatayo ang pagkakaisa natin batay sa isang masusing prosesso ng pagtatagisan sa mga kakayahan ng mga nominado. Ipapakita natin sa madla na may kakayahan tayong magkaisa matapos ng isang matinding debate at pagkakaiba ng pag assess sa katangian ng mga nominado.

Naniniwala ako na tayong lahat ay naglalayong magkaroon ng mga kandidato na makikiisa sa ating baguhin ang pulitika tungo sa pulitika ng pagbabago.

Kwentuhan ninyo kami sa mga pagkilos kaugnay ng deliberation processes ninyo.

Sunflower wishes,

dinky

We are Former Senior Government Officials who have served the people in various capacities as public officials appointed by several Presidents of the Republic, from Diosdado Macapagal to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Many of us have participated in the preparation of the State of the Nation Address of several presidents.

The nation awaits the ninth State of the Nation Address of the incumbent president. It is supposed to be her final message to Congress in joint session assembled, before she leaves the presidency on June 30, 2010, as mandated by the fundamental law of the land.

More than any report of achievement or promise of legacy, what the Filipino people want to hear from her, at this time, are firm declarations that would finally disprove their greatest fears – that democracy is once more at peril, and that the scheduled elections of May 2010 shall be either sham or failure.

Our people have in the past demonstrated their capacity to remove a dictator from power peacefully. This time, they will move to prevent any attempt to thwart our democratic rights. They will not wait for another dictator to seize power by whatever subterfuge.

And so the Filipino people must expect Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to declare on or before July 27, 2009, the day she addresses Congress:

That she will relinquish all power at noon of June 30, 2010, and thus allow the peaceful and orderly transfer of power to her duly-elected successor;

That she will not allow any effort to alter, amend or re-write the Constitution before June 30, 2010, nor would she support any effort to prepare for a Constituent Assembly, and would leave it to the next leadership in both the executive and legislative branches of government to call for an elected Constitutional Convention to amend the charter;

That she will ensure that all support mechanisms will be undertaken to ensure clean, honest, free and orderly elections on May 10, 2010, and will not in any way use the powers and resources of her incumbent office to influence or alter the people’s free and sovereign choice of their next leaders, nor in any way cause the failure of said electoral exercise;

And that she will not entertain any suggestions or attempts to impose emergency rule or martial law, and would prosecute all public officials who suggest the same in public statements calling for a revolutionary or transition government, all of which are anathema to democratic order.

Failure on her part to forthrightly declare all these should be taken by the Filipino people as clear intent to thwart the elections of 2010 under the mandates of law and the Constitution.

It is clear in most every public opinion survey that the people want the elections of 2010 to proceed and succeed in electing a new set of leaders. The second quarter survey of the Social Weather Stations for the current year reinforces previous public opinion research on the non-acceptability of charter change. Seven out of every ten adult Filipinos nationwide oppose changing the Constitution to allow her continued rule beyond June 30, 2010. In the National Capital Region, fully 83% oppose it.

We, the Former Senior Government Officials therefore ask the Filipino people to be prepared to do anything and everything to thwart all plans and attempts to prolong the rule of the present administration under the leadership of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. We call on all sectors of the population, whatever their calling, wherever they are in these islands, to be prepared to resist.

We have thwarted the enemies of democracy before. We should be prepared to do it again.

TINDIG KABABAIHAN – NO TO CONASS

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Sunflower reflections

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Greetings to all!

I just arrived from a 7 day journey interaction in Mindanao…. in a meeting with the provincial coordinators and regional coordinators. ..we confirmed that Mindanao has 623 registered members….. a strong core of leaders from all walks of life .

Targets had been set to expand membership to at least 5,000 by first week of August. They have lined up a series of orientation workshops on Change Politics, candidates forum, deliberation on candidates qualifications, voters education towards vote buying free zones…..they divided the time lines from July 15 to the First Vote and final vote. September to November 30, 2009.

It was a very encouraging meeting and discussion. Below is the reflection piece I wrote…hope all is well….sunflower wishes,

dinky

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Corazon Juliano-Soliman (dinky)
Sunflower reflections
July 13, 2009
Davao City

I arrived in Cagayan de Oro airport in the afternoon of July 8, 2009; I left immediately after our commemoration event as Hyatt 10 in St. Jude Church where we heard Mass and lit candles to pray to the patron of Making the Impossible Happen… the miracle of Faith in the Positive Change….that is it is possible.

It is indeed possible for change to happen, to be led by citizens….ordinary citizens…..from the poor and marginalized areas….from the professionals in the provinces…from people in the land of promise, struggling and shaping the promise to become a reality….from the people of faith….in their own God….spiritually grounded….drawing courage from their solidarity with each other and their God.

I am inspired by the interaction and dialogues I had with the people who participated in the workshops and orientation sessions on Change Politics Movement. I was a resource person in Iligan for the workshop organized by the diocese. The participants were farmers, teachers, and small entrepreneurs from Iligan diocese. They were very engaged in the process; asking questions, sharing their ideas on politics, raising concerns about safety in relation to taking back politics from politicians who betrayed the trust of the people, proposing ways to convince their neighbors not to sell their votes, making plans on how to begin the process of conscientization, ….yes it was a very engaged group of people who just experienced a bomb blast in their city.

From Iligan, I went up to Bukdinon to a town called Pangantucan; it is the border town to Lanao Del Sur. It was going down memory lane to my sunflower community organizing days. There were no sunflowers because it is not the season; they usually bloom in November through February. The warmth of the people and their interest to change the politics were my sunflowers. Again, the participants came from different towns of Bukidnon. We held the workshop in the seminar house of the Parish compound; a spartan structure surrounded by colorful flowers. They were farmers, members of PALAMBU – farmers’ organization that Ka Rene headed, leaders from coops such as AADC, retired government workers, teachers, parish workers and village councilors. The challenge of poverty and its effect on the people was the main block identified by the participants; the obstacle to truly changing politics because of the patronage system. The need to address the hunger and illiteracy is urgent if we want to have informed choices in the 2010 election. They agreed that the roots of transactional politics is deep so indeed 2010 is a first step….then we will continue to build the Change Politics Movement so that by 2022 candidates for national and local elections can come from the womb of the people’s movement…..a farmer can be President just as an auto mechanic became President in Brazil and a Lumad became President in Bolivia. Yes we talked, shared laughter and dreamt of the time when one of them can be governor of the province and mayor of the town.

I am encouraged by the fact that these workshops were supported by the people themselves with some support from the Church and kind individuals. In Iligan the fifty participants brought one kilo of rice each to augment the support of the diocese. In Bukidnon the people of Pangantucan opened their homes and the participants slept in the houses of participants from Pangantucan. I slept in the house of Pinay and Elvis. One person donated cassava cooked for snacks and we had organic vegetables from the backyard farm of Jun and Elvis…and of course, we had the famous moringa juice because Jun is an advocate since his cancer of the colon was cured by moringa (malunggay).

From Pangantucan, I traveled to Davao City. Before taking the journey, I went to Mass in the Monastery of the Transfiguration, the Benedictine monastery in Bukidnon. It was an uplifting experience, the church was on top of the hill and it had glass walls so we can see the mountains and clouds from all sides. The altar was a big rock adorned with wild flowers…..the ambience reinforced the calmness inside me that had been growing since July 8…..we will overcome the evil plans and ways of the politicians who continue to betray the trust of the people, who continue to lie, steal and kill…..goodness will reign and better times will soon come.

Every second Sunday of the month, the Benedictine monks organizes Brunch with the Monks….they set up tents and for Php 150.00 people have a treat of flowing coffee of Monk’s Blend and four viands, noodles and rice and dessert. It was such a festive and endearing event. I met Dom Martin who told me that they were praying for Tita Cory everyday. Former President Cory had visited the Monastery and had slept there. The visit to the Monastery was such a nice send off to the land travel to Davao City…..BUDA road was such a scenic ride interspersed with a reflective conversation with Jun Mabaso, a farmer leader from CPAR days who have crossed over and won a Vice Mayor seat and have cross backed to head the Agri Aqua Development Coalition of Mindanao.

As I write this, we are going through a workshop with the regional leaders of Change Politics Movement of Mindanao. We are refining the development and change agenda…making it concrete and doable….we have learned from past agenda making exercises….my faith in the peoples’ wisdom have once more been affirmed…..inspite of the challenging situation of our country…inspite of the callousness of the current political leadership and yes in spite of the disappointment on the news that Obama is meeting GMA…..there is hope ….because people power is growing..Not in the ways we expect to see it…..in their own time and by God’s grace…..the Filipino citizens will prevail and will hold politics in their hands.

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