As progressive overseas Filipino migrant workers, youth and women we join our voices to the thousands of Filipinos in the Philippines and around the world who rallied today to mark the anniversary of EDSA 1 People Power uprising by calling for the ouster of the fake, corrupt and fascist Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

We congratulate the broad united front lead by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) along with other patriotic and progressive groups who rallied throughout the nation today and in Manila for reaching Mendiola Bridge near Malacanang Palace for the first time in two years. As overseas Filipinos in Canada, we are also outraged by the latest revelations regarding the controversial billion dollar Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment Limited (ZTE) National Broadband Network (NBN) deal.

The testimonies of Joey de Venecia III and Jun Lozada implicate top government officials in profiting from hundreds of millions of dollars in kickbacks and overpricing of the NBN deal. The government has tried desperately to cover-up this scandal and silence the whistleblowers and its opposition through coercion, kidnapping and intimidation tactics.

First Gentleman Mike Arroyo as well as other top government officials including the President herself are also implicated in the scandal.

It enrages us that this type of large-scale corruption is happening. This is not the first time that allegations of corruption have been directed against the Arroyo government. We also recall the illegitimacy of her presidency through massive cheating in the 2004 elections. We know that government corruption will eventually be shouldered by the Filipino people including overseas Filipinos in Canada who support their families back home.

As overseas Filipino migrant workers, youth and women, we are fed up with the seven years of the Arroyo regime because of the outstanding problems of joblessness, landlessness, poverty, lack of basic social services, forced migration and gross human
rights violations and political repression. The corruption and theft of the Arroyo regime enrages us while we toil in the most difficult, dirty and dangerous jobs abroad in order to send remittances home. While we face racism, violence and economic exploitation and oppression in the workforce, and continue to be the milking cows of the corrupt Arroyo government we know the local Philippine government consulates do little to nothing to advocate for our rights and welfare.

Instead of stealing more and more wealth for their own benefit and continuing to aggressively sell off its own people, the Arroyo government should be advocating for our rights and welfare as overseas Filipinos. More importantly, they should address the outstanding chronic economic and political crisis that forced us to migrate abroad.

The Filipino people including those overseas have had enough of this corrupt, fascist and fake US-Arroyo regime. We encourage and support the thousands of Filipinos who are bringing their outrage to the streets in various forms of protest. We know that it is only through another People Power that Arroyo can be removed from office.

We also support the call of the broad united front for a government to replace Arroyo that will promote the advancement of the people’s struggle for a sovereign, democratic, progressive and pro-people system.

We call on all progressive and patriotic Filipinos to register their support for the call to oust Arroyo and join in nationally-coordinated activities in the upcoming months.

Oust the corrupt, fake, puppet and fascist Arroyo! Pahirap sa migrante! Patalsikin si GMA!

February 25, 2008

Statement issued by:

SIKLAB – Canada (Advance and Uphold the Rights of
Overseas Filipino Workers)
Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada /
Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance
National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada
Filipino Nurses Support group – BC and Quebec