PHILIPPINES: AS ELECTION DAY COMES , GMA CHEATING MACHINE REVS UP

Los Angeles -- The US-Arroyo regime cheating and repressive machinery for the May 14 national elections is revved up and ready.

The AJLPP reiterates it call for the Filipino people to be vigilant and fight with all their might against legalized vote buying, wholesale cheating and brazen violence in this coming May 14 elections.

At the rate It Is acting, the US-Arroyo regime Is sure to surpass the much hated Marcos regime its brazenness and fascist terrorist acts.

AJLPP also expresses its deepest concern over the escalating violence and the propaganda in “rationalizing” its cheating activities “ in the coming elections. More than 100 armed incidents have been reported since the election season started late February 2007 in the Philippines.

The AJLPP compiled the latest updates from the Philippines:

- Reports of COMELEC election return certificates are being peddled at the cost of P 100,000 to P 60,000 per set has been reported by the ABS-CBN news.

- The Northern Dispatch, news agency based in Northern Luzon reported that Operation Mercury Rising" an AFP operation to make the administration senatorial bets win by " 12-0" all around the country was put Into action. A group of retired military officials have also reported that the AFP will be used for cheating in this elections.

Earlier, despite promises that AFP will not be used In the elections, the President has ordered AFP and the national police forces deployed hundreds of armed special action forces In different parts of the country.

Human Rights Violations Escalates

- The family of Jonas Burgos and the DENR reported that they have traced the jeep that was used In the kidnapping of Burgos at the compound of the 58th IB In Bulacan. Last April 28, Jonas Joseph Burgos, the son of anti-martial stalwart and MALAYA publisher Joe Burgos was abducted by armed men inside the GOTESCO Mall. Burgos and two of his companions are still missing until now.

Jonas Burgos is a member of the peasant association in Bulacan, the Alyansa ng mga Magbubukid ng Bulacan (AMBA- Alliance of Bulacan Peasants affil;iated with the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, . He acts as a trainor for skills development of peasant leaders in the province.

Bulacan has the highest number of people who forcefully disappeared. At least 26 activist were believed to be abducted in the province of Bulacan. The European Union representatives in Manila expressed alarm about this case of abduction and forced disappearance.

The Human Rights Commission had ordered the police and military to surface Jonas Burgos. Former President Corazon Aquino also made the same call for the military to surface Jonas Burgos.

- Several days before elections, the administrations bets are openly giving out materials prohibited by COMELEC without any fear of persecution and are blatantly saying that “ what they are doing is legal.”

Their leaders and candidates like Department of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales are openly announcing that they will give cash incentives from P 10,000 to P 50,000 in every barrio or town that will vote 12-0 for the administration. On the other hand, the COMELEC plays deaf and dumb on what is happening.

Psywar and Trending Through Media Manipulations

The US-Arroyo Regime is setting the mind of the populace that their camp will beat the opposition” because they have the machinery and logistics” to win in all the areas of the Philippines.

The regime through its media network are playing up “surveys” that shows that the TEAM UNITY will win at least six senatorial sets or worse it will 12-0 in Mindanao and the Visayas. This tactics had been played on in the bourgeois media controlled by the US-Arroyo regime.

President Arroyo ordered the military to augment the police forces and deploy their forces to help prevent election violence. Observers feared that the military will be used again in cheating in this coming elections.

The military have been perceived to have cheated for President Arroyo last 2004 presidential elections. General Esperon is one of the generals who was implicated in the elections cheatings in 2004.

This prompted former senator Jovito Salonga to say: “General Esperon ( the AFP chief of staff) can be likened to General Ver”, the former Marcos chief of staff who managed the elections during martial law.

General Ver, Marcos chief bodyguard, was also implicated and was charged but was cleared in 1984 by a commission formed by Marcos on the assassination of Senator Benigno Aquino Jr in 1983.

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