Faeldon’s group says ‘Filipinos refused to be cowed’

Are people still taking President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo seriously? Judging from the eight days that a state of emergency was in effect, the Magdalo group of Marines Capt. Nicanor Faeldon does not think so. Faeldon’s “Pilipino" group said that from the day Arroyo declared a state of emergency on February 24 to the day she said the emergency was over, various forms of defiance were staged. “Nang ideklara ni Arroyo ang 1017, pinatunayan ng mga Pilipinong hindi sila papayag na muling mabusalan. Kayat ngayon ang gustong gawin ni Arroyo, magkunwaring normal na ulit ang lahat, para tumahimik ang tao. At muli niyang sabihin, tama na, let’s move on. Maniwala na kayo ulit sa mga kasinungalingan ko. Ipinakita ng nagdaang walong araw na kaya nating lumaban. Ngayon, higit kailanman, kailangang ituloy ang laban (When she declared 1017, Filipinos refused to be cowed. So now she wants everything to look normal. And once everything settles down, she wants everyone to move on and believe her lies. But now Filipinos have shown they can fight back. The fight continues)," it said in its website (www.pilipino.org.ph). In Malacañang, the presidential appointments secretary’s office continued to hide Arroyo’s schedule of activities from the media. Presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye would only say that the activities kept from the media are “private engagements," but added media can always settle for her “roundtable discussions." He was referring to Arroyo’s discussions with concerned government officials aired on government-run television. “Marahil may dahilan bakit baka mga private engagements ang schedule ng pangulo na di nangangailangan ng media coverage (There has to be a reason. Perhaps those are private engagements)," Bunye said on a radio interview Saturday. Pilipino noted that when Arroyo said the emergency was over last March 3, she broadly hinted she would declare a state of emergency again if she needs to. The group said people should not let 20 years of democracy soften their resolve to defy a creeping dictatorship. Also, it warned that heeding Arroyo’s call to just move on despite the many scandals surrounding her regime would be like frogs being slowly cooked to death. “Pinatunayan ng mga Pilipinong hindi sila takot lumaban sa pekeng utos ng pekeng presidente (But Filipinos have shown they are not afraid to defy the fake orders of a fake president)," it said. Shortly after escaping from military custody last December, Faeldon set up the website to call for civil disobedience against Arroyo. He also visited several police and military camps to show he has the support of several junior elements in the police and military. The “Pilipino" group vowed to continue Faeldon’s fight after military intelligence operatives captured Faeldon last January 27.-GMANews.TV