Satur Slams ‘ZTE-Style Operations’ in Manila Communities

Bribery, harassment launched to prevent people from joining anti-Arroyo protests – Bayan Muna

The party-list group Bayan Muna today slammed the military and police’s campaign of coercion and intimidation in urban poor communities in Metro Manila to prevent residents from joining anti-Arroyo protests.

Roberto de Castro, Bayan Muna organizing committee coordinator, decried what he called as “an unusual deployment of fully armed state armed forces in suspected anti-Arroyo communities, at the same time, pseudo-organizations plague these communities luring and bribing residents to join pro-administration rallies.”

De Castro lambasted the Malacanang two evil tactics of bribery and intimidation to project a fake popular support and terror among the people. Using paid operators to organize fly by night and pseudo organizations like the Kongreso ng Mamamayan at the same time mobilizing the mercenary armed forces and police to sow fear in the communities.

“The Arroyo administration’s ZTE-style operation is now in the works in urban poor communities in the National Capital Region. Campaigns of harassment and intimidation side-by-side with bribery were launched in suspected anti-Arroyo communities,” De Castro said.

“Using public funds, Ms Arroyo is exploiting the poor and poverty to lure the people to the tune of Php200- 250 per head to join Malacanang-organized “hakot” rallies to project that it still has the support of the people,” he added.

The party-list group said that elements of the Armed Forces’ National Capital Region Command’s Civilian Military Operations Battalion, under Col. Buenaventura Pascual, are actively roaming around communities to intimidate and harass residents.

De Castro cited the “militarization” of urban poor communities of Isla Putting Bato, Baseco, Pandacan and Sta. Mesa in Manila; Barangays Batasan Hills, Payatas, Holy Spirit, Commonwealth, Balara and Pansol in Quezon City; Tumana, Concepcion Uno, Fortune, Parang, and Marikina Heights in Marikina; Brgys. Cupang and Bayanan in Muntinlupa, and Brgys. Bagong Silang and Camarin in Caloocan.

“In these areas, military and police elements in full battle gear are actively roaming around looking for leaders of Bayan Muna and other progressive groups to sow fear, coerce, intimidate and prevent the people from joining anti-Arroyo protests set for tomorrow and on February 29,” de Castro said.

The Bayan Muna leader noted that in the case of Sityo Payong, Brgy. Old Balara and Pansol in Quezon City, the military were “very particular” in asking how many jeeploads and who among the residents and the youth are joining rallies.

De Castro added that “based on our monitor, police and military were monitoring jeepney terminals.”

“This is obviously designed to harass and prevent drivers and their vehicles to be used in oust GMA rallies,” he said.

Bayan Muna called on Metro residents to resist and frustrate “GMA’s latest evil scheme” and join the scheduled protests tomorrow and the ecumenical prayer rally in Makati on the 29th. #

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