The 8th Filing of the Citizens' Impeachment Complaint

According to Cong. Edcel Lagman, the Impeachment Complaint filed yesterday may be the only one acceptable, because it was filed on the correct day. That remains to be seen, as we all know that pro-Gloria Congressmen will stop at nothing to point out all possible defects and inconsistencies to thwart our search for Truth. Well, they can keep on trying, we will keep on fighting to get at it.

Our Press Release:

THE BLACK AND WHITE MOVEMENT, led by its provincial leaders, along with endorsers from the Liberal Party represented by Dina Abad, Noynoy Aquino, Neric Acosta, and Manny Mamba, filed the eighth impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Marilou Capucao of Naga City and Ian Beato of Catanduanes said that they traveled all the way from Bicolandia to manifest their desire to get to the truth behind the electoral fraud of 2004.

Roberto Almonte from Mindoro, on the other hand, wants to get to the truth about the fertilizer scam since there are many farmers from Mindoro who need support services but have not been adequately assisted by the government. “Dapat umuwi si Joc Joc Bolante para sagutin ang mga katanungan namin”, he said.

Pauline Nayra and Annie Curpin, both from Tacloban, echo the same concern. The impeachment procedure will provide President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo a chance to explain her side on the fertilizer scam. It is widely believed that the funds that did not reach the farmers were used for the 2004 presidential election campaign.

Ian Digal and Dolly Corro are from Davao City. They signed the impeachment complaint because of continuous extra judicial killings in the country. They recall the martial law era, when Davao City had its share of everyday “salvaging” of critics of government. They do not want to see this happen again. The present regime must be stopped from committing these atrocities. This is the same concern of two leaders from Northern Luzon, Sr. Celerina Zabala from Abra and Ligaya Victoria from Baguio. They have seen the rise in the number of disappearances and killings of community leaders critical of government in their area.

Ma. Cynthia Sabanpan and Adora Ellevera brought with them 48 notarized verification forms to the impeachment complaint all the way from Cagayan de Oro City. The Black and White chapter of the Golden Friendship City recently held a dance rally called “STOP Cha Cha, Impeach Gloria” wherein people signed impeachment verification forms. Cong. Chiz Escudero was present to receive and transmit the forms to the House of Representatives.

“This action today shows that people outside Manila are searching for truth and want to be part of the impeachment process. Contrary to what government wants us to believe, the people in the provinces are asking questions and are willing to stand up for their beliefs.” said Sixto Macasaet, a convenor of BLACK AND WHITE Movement.

--oOo--

STATEMENT ON OUR ENDORSEMENT OF THE IMPEACHMENT COMPLAINT AGAINST PRESIDENT GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO - Repesentatives Dina Abad, Neric Acosta, Noynoy Aquino, Manny Mamba

We have been asked why we are pursuing this impeachment again given the failure of last year's attempt and perhaps the increased difficulty of this new attempt.

Those of us present today are veterans of both EDSA I and II. We fought in simplest terms for the restoration of a government that would truly serve its people and not only the interests of a select few.

We who are elected officials of this land swore in our respective oaths of office to defend and uphold our constitution. It is with intense sadness that in the twentieth anniversary of our restoration of our democracy and freedoms we see our constitution seemingly violated with impunity.

There have been calls from certain sectors for us to desist in this undertaking. They have accused us of engaging in partisan and destructive politics. They have called us destabilizers amongst other labels.

When people are hungry as evidenced by a lot of our countrymen reduced to sharing a cup of instant noodles as their daily sustenance and the administration's response is the so called fertilizer scam. It has been admitted that at least twenty per cent of our labor pool have had to seek employment abroad and our government's response is to squander its scant resources on unnecessary and hideously expensive projects like the North Rail instead of spending it to pump prime our economy and provide jobs here. May we note for emphasis that the South Korean government has a rehabilitation project for a longer portion of the South Rail at a mere ten percent of the cost of the first phase of the North Rail project.

There are hundreds of extra judicial killings and disappearances, the vast majority of which remain to be solved.

Policies like CPR which effectively amended B.P.880 without benefit of legislation and orders like E.0.464 which contravened long standing decisions by the Supreme Court further reinforces the sense that this administration operates under rules subject to no laws but their own.

Given this state affairs our people are hungry and fearful and they are growing desperate and frustrated. Given a lack of redress for their grievances, one day like a seething volcano they will explode.

Given all of the above in furtherance of our sworn duty to serve the people regardless of the pressures and inducements thrown our way to change our stance we have decided to endorse this new impeachment complaint. .

The impeachment process, a constitutionally sanctioned activity, we believe is the surest and safest way to settle once and for all the issues that have divided us as a country and people.

The forces of the state in all its might are arrayed against us. The road ahead may be lonely and fraught with danger. The future is uncertain for all of us.

We are confident however that what we are undertaking today is in furtherance of that which is right.

A Legion of Demons

Sundays are supposed to be spent lolling around in bed, a day reserved for doing nothing except maybe to watch television or contemplate one's navel. Another thing most of us do is lazily go through the morning papers with a cup of coffee. Reading the newspapers online is so much easier, you can avoid all the ads. I particularly do not like reading the Star, but after getting a heads up from MLQ3, I put on my running shoes, zipped out the door, ran through the rain and bought a hard copy. Imagine my surprise -



















This is a cropped section of a full page ad taken out by Singaw ng Bayan against One Voice in their favorite paper. The rest of the ad is a waste of newsprint. As to this section's content, either the copy writer thought he was being cool and profound or is really working for Singaw ng Bayan's detractors. The highlighted line is from the Bible, the Gospel according to Mark:

The Healing of a Demon-possessed Man

1They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. 4For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

6When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!" 8For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!"

9Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"

"My name is Legion," he replied, "for we are many." 10And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

11A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12The demons begged Jesus, "Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them." 13He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

14Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

18As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." 20So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

Geez, anyone who has seen "The Exorcist" and its many sequels knows this line by heart. But then, Singaw's description of their membership is apt, perfect. They are not only possessed by evil demons that create liars, abet cheats, and encourage greed, they are woefully blinded by the evil promises whispered to them by their Mistress.

Just for the record, I do not believe One Voice is spending that much money. These figures are bloated, like the ego of Rep. Rudy Antonino. Speaking of financing, do you have any idea of just how much Singaw has spent on the many broadsheet, full page ads defending itself? How much of our tax money (via the Office of the President, mind you) has been spent sending out its Advocacy Commission? They claim to have crisscrossed our country, touting Charter Change's empty promises of economic growth, yada yada yada. How much has been spent on bribing our congressmen so they can once again vote down the Citizen's Impeachment Complaint? You do the math.

Answers

Funny, quite a few people missed the sarcasm of Enteng's latest post. He received texts from friends exhorting him to continue the fight. He, along with everyone else in the Black & White Movement, is in this struggle for the long haul. Enteng wrote the letter with a large dose of sarcasm out of great frustration with deadly serious messages - if people weighing in on the current burning issues continue to keep to their "politically safe" and ambiguous messaging to gain support, they are actually supporting Gloria and aiding her in her plan to stay in office forever. Why? These people are easier to compromise and co-opt due to their refusal to call a spade a spade because to do so would take them out of their "comfort zone". Forget the need for transparency and accountability, the need for justice.

Anti Charter Change is a "safe" issue. It doesn't bother with the issues of legitimacy and electoral cheating, and is far removed from graft and corruption matters. The Impeachment is an "unsafe" issue - forget the people who wish to get at the truth through constitutional means, they're "not our class, dear", and even it some of the complainants are from "our" class, they'll never get to the truth anyway. Because if it fails, instead of spawning outrage within these groups, they'll just "move on".

And what is Gloria doing now? Gloria first tried bribing the bishops, thinking her largesse could keep them on the sidelines. Now that some of them have let the proverbial cat out of the bag by coming clean about the envelopes of money and MOAs promising food and meds, she includes them in the anti Gloria bag, calling them rebel coddlers and using her money to pay off people like the erstwhile jueteng witnesses to sing a song written by her henchmen. In answer, a few more bishops have signified their intent to sign the Impeachment Complaint, and the Ecumenical Bishops Forum (EBF) has thrown its support behind the embattled bishops.

She's currently trying to scare the business community into submission by "outing" a few as rebel supporters. Gloria and her henchmen have gone fishing, thinking thier muro-ami, "strike anywhere and you might get a few dead fish to surface" style will work.

Meanwhile, Esperon comes out swinging, saying he'll "batter" the opposition. Why? Because he's a part of all the lying, cheating, and stealing. He has to keep the dogs of truth at bay as well.

This woman will stop at nothing to keep herself safe from justice. Remember that saying. "first they came for the Jews. etc"? Well, they're coming after all of us now. Bishops, businessmen, well-meaning citizens, the military.

And what shall we do? Keep to the sidelines as our "kind" are carted off? For as long as it ain't "us", by all means! Ha!

--oOo--

Have you read the Inquirer yet? Fr. Advincula, the only Filipino priest in Beirut, along with outgoing Sentate President Drilon decry the lame efforts of the government regarding the stranded and frightened OFWs in Lebanon. It is clear that this administration really doesn't give two centavos for the millions of OFWs that are keeping this economy afloat. Want proof? Read the Tribune.

We are in real trouble when our economy depends on other economies to keep it alive through OFW remittances. We are in even more trouble when this regime concentrates on its survival and not the survival of our people. And we will get ourselves into deeper trouble if we do nothing about all that.

A Call for Unity and Sacrifice

It’s been a year after the Garci tapes first surfaced, and we are still hopelessly divided as ever. Each side appeal to the other to join their cause, both claim to represent the majority. The anti-GMA forces base their claim on survey results which consistently show that a vast majority believe GMA cheated. Pro-GMA forces claim the people have spoken – they have not responded to the opposition calls for protest. They conveniently forget that neither have the people responded to their call to move on.

The truth is we are in a political gridlock. And the situation will continue to worsen unless we see a breakthrough in the current impasse.

It is unreasonable to expect GMA and her allies to budge. Therefore, the only option left is for us within the anti-GMA camp, who claims to be motivated by love of country, to make the supreme sacrifice by abandoning our quest for the truth. After all, truth is a small price to pay for progress.

Let us heed the admonition of the bishops. They discourage us from pursuing impeachment, convinced that it will fail, and will only dismay every citizen. Besides, they question the motivation of some groups in our rank. In effect, they’re saying we might inadvertently abet the return of Erap, the succession of Noli (whom they probably see as incompetent), or worse, the ascendancy of the communists. So, let’s not waste our time and energy on impeachment.

While at it, let’s ask the poor to stop filing cases in court. They will only be dismayed since we all know it takes money to win a case. They will do all of us a favor by unclogging the dockets in our court system. The wheels of justice will finally grind faster, especially for those with enough money to influence the court decisions.

And what’s all this talk about asking the US government to deport Bolante so he can finally testify at the Senate hearing? We all know that he will simply deny all allegations, just like Garci did, and nothing much will happen. We will only be dismayed. Let’s not waste any more taxpayers’ money on all these Senate inquiries in aid of legislation.

On the other hand, the bishops want us to continue denouncing the palace-led people’s initiative for charter change. They find the haste by which Malacanang is pushing this rather alarming. I wonder why they do not find the alleged cheating and the subsequent cover-up efforts by the palace equally alarming.

I also wonder why they have decided to fight this one when the very same groups whose motivation they question are fighting this one, too. I guess it’s because non-partisan groups like One Voice and Kapatiran, are endorsing it. They have no agenda (just like many of us in the anti-GMA camp, anyway) and they know what’s best for this country. Let us join them and speak with one voice on this issue.

While at it, let’s also heed the repeated appeals of the “top 600 women” and businessmen like Donald Dee for us to stop all forms of protest. They only scare investors away and imperil the economy. Let’s not nitpick on the issue of cheating. Everybody cheats anyway. Some of them even expect us to be thankful for GMA’s cheating, because it saved us from an FPJ presidency. The end justifies the means.

Let’s not bother to have elections in 2007 and 2010. In fact, let’s not have elections ever. Everybody will cheat, anyway. And we run the risk of our mindless masa voting another incompetent movie personality into office. Let’s just leave the future of this nation to these all-knowing non-partisan groups. Never mind that the rest of our people do not agree with them. They know better.

Some of them actually believe that what this nation needs at this time is a benevolent dictator. And they cite Singapore’s success under Lee Kwan Yu as the best example. No wonder they eagerly embrace GMA’s all-out war against the leftists. Never mind the unabated killings (they’re all communists, anyway) and escalating human rights violations. They are but small sacrifices that we can offer in the altar of national progress.

Of course, GMA supporters will not openly admit that she is a dictator, even though she has repeatedly violated the constitution with CPR, EO 464, and PP 1017. But we can all agree that she is benevolent. Just ask the Comelec officials who met at her house and the congressmen who voted down impeachment last year. But then again, the bishops may not agree. P20,000 in an envelope can hardly be considered benevolent.

I call on my colleagues in the anti-GMA movement to stand down and join the majority of our people who believe she cheated but have decided not to do anything about it. That is the most patriotic thing to do.

Never mind that we are breeding a new generation of Filipinos lacking in moral scruples, where lying, stealing and cheating abound. You cannot eat morality. Never mind that our rights are curtailed and our basic liberties trampled. You cannot drink democracy. National unity, at whatever cost, is our only hope for a better future and a strong republic.

How times have changed. I remember, right after EDSA 1, people proclaimed, “Never again!” Now, all we can say is “Never mind!”

Enteng Romano III
Convenor, Black and White Movement

P.S. – please pass this on to everyone you know who are actively involved in or even remotely supportive of the anti-GMA movement that they may be enlightened and do the right thing for the sake of our nation.

Some Good News For A Change

As explained earlier, apart from signing on to the Impeachment Complaint, the Black & White Movement's been neck-deep involved in the STOP Cha Cha Campaign. We have been conducting forums all over the country on a shoe-string budget, with the help of our partner CSOs, engaging our people on the perils of Gloria's Charter Change. Some of you have seen us on television, on the streets as well. It's been grueling, but none of us regrets being exhausted.

The government hasn't been sleeping, its henchmen have been everywhere as well, spreading their bogus word, "collecting" signatures for their bogus initiative. Their coffers are deep, their message persuasive to some. Palace power is formidable, and rumor has it that another government institution may fold under Palace pressure and reverse itself to allow PIG (People's Initiative of Gloria) to prosper. Which one? When will shameless behavior end?

Meanwhile, our people remain deeply divided, a consensus doesn't seem near. No matter, we continue to press our case, despite the formidable odds. And hard work can pay off. After the disappointment over the CBCP's latest Pastoral Letter, we were due for some upliftment. Here are the latest SWS Survey results on Charter Change:


SWS Media Release / 13 July 2006

June 2006 Social Weather Survey:

“NO” VOTE IN CHA-CHA PLEBISCITE RISES TO 67%; ONLY 6.8% HAVE SIGNED AN INITIATIVE-PETITION

Mahar Mangahas, Social Weather Stations

The Social Weather Survey of June 22-28, 2006 finds that those intending to vote “No,” if a plebiscite to approve constitutional amendments were held today, have grown to a solid majority of 67% of all Filipino adults, compared to a small majority of 56% in the previous SWS national survey of March 8-14, 2006.

Among those surveyed, only 15% had been approached to sign a petition favoring constitutional amendments. Among them there were 6.8 percentage points who signed, 7.2 percentage points who did not sign, and a one-point balance who would not say if they signed or not. [Table 1]

Below the required 12%

The roughly 7% proportion of signatories in the survey, as well as the total of 8% in case the No-Answers are assumed to be signatories also, are statistically below the constitutional minimum requirement of 12% of the national electorate in order for an amendment to be directly proposed by popular initiative.

Six of every ten of those approached on a petition said that they were not shown the amendments which they were asked to sign. Less than half of those who signed, and one-fourth of those who did not sign although approached to do so, were shown amendments to read. [Table 2]

“No” leads in all areas

Those saying they will vote “No” in a plebiscite for a new constitution described as “what the President wants” (“sa bagong Konstitusyon na gusto ng Pangulo”) are 83% in Metro Manila, 64% in the Balance of Luzon, 60% in the Visayas, and 68% in Mindanao. [Table 3]

The “No” vote is 60% in the middle-to-upper ABC classes, 68% in the masa or D class, and 66% in the very poor E class.

Even among those who said they signed a petition, the “No” vote outscores the “Yes” vote by 48% to 46%, with the balance saying Don’t Know/No Answer.

Among those who were approached to sign a petition but did not do so, 84% said they would vote “No.”

Distribution of the petition

The movement for the petition appears strongest in the Visayas, where 21% of the respondents said that their signatures were solicited. The solicitation rate was 16% in both Mindanao and Metro Manila, and 12% in the Balance of Luzon.

Among those solicited, the rate of signing was 51% in Mindanao, 46% in the Visayas, 43% in Metro Manila, and 41% in the Balance of Luzon.

Relevance of Presidential performance

Public opinion about the performance of the President is relevant, but is not a deciding factor, in the dominance of the “No” vote in case of a plebiscite on constitutional amendments.

The “No” vote in the SWS survey got 54% from those satisfied, 67% from those neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, and 76% from those dissatisfied, with the President. [Table 4]

The “Yes” vote has a majority only among those few (9%) who are Very Satisfied with the President. It is a minority among those who are Somewhat Satisfied with her.

Mixed feelings about Comelec

As of June 2006, feelings about the Commission on Elections are still mixed, with 34% of those surveyed agreeing, versus 37% disagreeing, that “The Comelec can be trusted to honestly count the votes of the people in a plebiscite to ratify a new Constitution.” [Table 5]

This is statistically unchanged from the March 2006 SWS survey’s finding of 30% agreeing and 34% disagreeing with the same statement.

Survey background

The Social Weather Survey for the Second Quarter of 2006 was done over June 22 to 28, 2006, using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults divided into random samples of 300 each in Metro Manila, the Balance of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao (sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages and ±6% for area percentages). The area estimates were weighted by National Statistics Office medium-population projections for 2006 to obtain the national estimates.

The survey items on charter change were not commissioned, but were done on SWS's own initiative and are being released immediately as a public service. The Social Weather Surveys are supported by subscribers, who have no proprietary rights over non-commissioned data.


Link: http://www.sws.org.ph/

A Response to Conrad - In the Interest of Clarity 2

Better late than never. Have been too busy to update our blog, apologies for the nth time. Black & White's been very involved in the STOP Cha Cha Campaign and Impeachment Complaint, so most of our time's been eaten up along with personal concerns.

Although we believe our press statements and blog posts can speak for us, just to be sure, here is our FAQ, which we think answers most of the questions raised by Conrad De Quiros. If you have the time and patience, plus the interest, please read through our posts for an even clearer picture of what we're all about.

What is the Black & White Movement? What does it stand for?

Formed on August 5, 2005 and formally launched on August 21, 2005 at the La Salle Greenhills Auditorium, the Black & White Movement is composed of groups and individuals who have sought the truth about the allegations that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo cheated in the 2004 elections since June 2005, and have reached the conclusion, based on the available evidence and the actuations of Ms. Macapagal-Arroyo, and her close allies that the President committed electoral fraud. This is a conclusion already shared by a majority of Filipinos, as shown by SWS and Pulse Asia opinion surveys.

Thus, members of the Black & White Movement are committed to actively campaign, through democratic and non-violent means, for the resignation, impeachment or ouster of PGMA.

What are bases for the Black & White Movement’s conclusion that PGMA cheated?

Our conclusion is based on the following grounds:

1. Enough (in fact, two) independent verifications by internationally reputable voice experts confirming the authenticity of the “Hello Garci” recording have been made. Said experts have verified the voices in the recording as those of PGMA and Garcillano. These experts have also verified that the recordings had not been spliced or tampered. This is in addition to verifications by former Comelec Chairman Christian Monsod and several other Comelec staff and officials that indeed it was Garcillano’s voice in the tapes and to the context of the conversations.

2. The conversations between PGMA and Elections Commissioner Virgilio “Garci” Garcillano in the “Hello Garci” recording clearly implicate the President in committing electoral fraud during the May 2004 elections.

3. It took PGMA three weeks to react to the “Hello, Garci” tapes. This is quite unusual since the normal reaction for an innocent person being accused of such a serious issue would be to immediately and strongly deny such allegations.

4. Malacanang attempted to cover-up the issue. On June 6, 2005, Secretary Bunye released to the media two 16-minute reproductions of the “Hello, Garci” tapes. The one claimed by Bunye as the “original” turned out to have been tampered, as it substituted Garcillano’s voice with that of an Arroyo campaign operative, Edgardo Ruado, who is referred to in the tape as “Gary.” Actually, Ruado’s nickname is Bong, not Gary. “Gary” was actually the code name of the ISAFP wiretappers for Garcillano, and Malacanang annotated their recording using this code name.

5. Refusal of the President to convene an independent and credible Truth Commission or fact-finding body to investigate the issue also points towards her hiding the truth.

6. President Arroyo’s June 27, 2005 “I am sorry” speech has been worded in such a way as to deceive the majority of the people (who have not yet really scrutinized the “Hello, Garci” tapes) into thinking that the conversations in the tapes were merely about protecting her votes and not about her committing electoral fraud. And that with her humble admission to her “lapse in judgment” the issue should already be put to rest. In essence, the speech was a half-admission and half-denial by the President.

7. Her strong and even hands-on lobby to “kill” the impeachment process at the House of Representatives even before the substance of the impeachment complaint has been discussed only strengthens our belief that she is hiding something.

So, is the Black & White Movement denying the President due process by already concluding that she cheated during the May 2004 elections? But what else can the people do when all the legal venues for determining the facts on the issue have been shut down?

Why does the Black & White Movement say that it focuses on the middle forces?

The Black & White Movement was convened by representatives from NGOs, business, and professional groups who are mostly from the middle class with moderate or middle-of-the-road political ideologies. We call this particular sector the “middle forces”.

All surveys consistently show that a majority of Filipinos believe that PGMA cheated during the May 2004 elections. Yet, they remain indifferent. This, we believe, is mainly due to the absence of an acceptable and viable “alternative” to PGMA and the lack of a “vehicle” for less extreme protest actions where the middle forces can participate. The Black & White Movement seeks to provide this “vehicle” for the middle forces. It also aims to further organize, expand and mobilize middle forces within the ranks of the anti- GMA movement.

What is the alternative of the Black & White Movement to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo?

The Black & White Movement stands by constitutional succession as the main viable option for resolving the current leadership crisis of the country. That option is a Special Election as provided in our Constitution. We also believe that a Snap Election is also possible via a Bullet Amendment by Congress. However, we believe that whoever succeeds PGMA should immediately institute basic reforms, including electoral, judicial, economic and political reforms.

To ensure that all these reforms are implemented and institutionalized, the Black & White Movement also demands that a “council of advisers” coming from a broad cross section of Philippine society be established by the constitutional successor to pave the way for the political and economic recovery of the country.

Why the colors black & white?

The choice of black and white as the movement’s colors is to emphasize that the specific issue we now face is as clear as “black and white” – that the issue is about GMA committing electoral fraud during the May 2004 elections to win the Presidency. It is not about labeling individuals or groups as either representing the sides of good or evil.

However, having been convinced that she did cheat during the recent elections, the question now is, should GMA be allowed to continue to govern the nation? And, our answer to this is a “clear as black and white” - NO!

We also believe that the issue of cheating, being a moral issue, has no gray area. It is either right or wrong. It’s either black or white. No justifications. No rationalization. Only admission, penance and acceptance of sin’s consequences are acceptable. There can be no compromise solution that will keep her in office. The colors black and white are in contrast to attempts by GMA and Malacanang to muddle the issue by raising the matters of her credentials or the lack of it by her successor or her detractors. We cannot justify the act of cheating by invoking the need to make a choice on behalf of the lesser evil.

It’s about cheating. It’s as simple as black and white.

What are the plans of Black & White Movement?

The movement is convinced that PGMA must vacate her office immediately, either by voluntary resignation or ouster through peaceful, non-violent means. This will require the participation of the people, especially the middle forces.

To engage the people, we need to:

1. Focus on the core issue: Did she cheat or not? We believe, as do majority of our people, that she did. But we have to keep reminding our people.

2. Sensitize a seared national conscience that has lost its sense of morality. Most believe that PGMA cheated, yet are not doing anything to remove her from office, or are so indifferent that they are willing to let her stay.

The Black & White Movement plans to undertake a wide-scale information and dissemination campaign to expose the truth revealed in the Garci tapes. It will organize truth forums nationwide to reach out to the youth, businessmen, young professionals, and other concerned citizens. Not only will it be a venue to expose the truth, it will also be the means to organize people for future concerted action. The movement will also use traditional and non-traditional media – print, broadcast, SMS text messaging, Internet, blogging and other technologies, to deliver its core message: GMA cheated… she should go. NOW!

How do I join? How can I help?

You can be involved several ways. You can start your own chapter (with at least 10 initial members) or enlist in an existing one. You can do both through our website or call our Secretariat to find a chapter near your area.

As a member, you will be updated of the various activities of the movement and you can participate in areas where your skills can best be used.

You can also help by providing financial support. Please contact our Secretariat for details.

Contact Information:

BLACK & WHITE MOVEMENT WEBSITE: www.blacknwhite-movement.com

BLACK & WHITE MOVEMENT BLOG: www.blacknwhitemovement.blogspot.com

BLACK & WHITE MOVEMENT EMAIL: info@blacknwhite-movement.com

BLACK & WHITE MOVEMENT CEL: 0917-88GARCI (42724)

B&W OFFICE ADDRESS & NUMBERS: 2nd Floor, Hoffner Building, Social Development Complex, Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights, QC
Tel/Fax (632) 426-6064, Tel. (632) 426 6001 local 4826

B&W CONVENORS:

Bangon Pilipinas · Citizens for Truth (C4T) · DLSU Brothers · Manindigan! · The Moral Majority · People's Campaign for Agrarian Reform Network (AR Now!) Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO) · Citizens for ConCon (C4CC) · Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute (GZOPI) · Local Governance Citizens Network (LGCNet) · National Institute for Policy Studies (NIPS) · National Peace Conference (NPC) · People's Alternative Study Center for Research and Education on Social Development (PASCRES) · Philippine Community Organizers Society (PhilCOS) · Social Democratic Caucus (SDC) · Women's Action Network For Development (WAND)