State Repression
Printing press raided for anti-Arroyo posters
THE NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Monday afternoon raided a printing press in Quezon City found to be reproducing posters depicting President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as popular cartoon villain "Valentina."
NBI agents conducted the raid on Always Graphic and Printing Services at 74-A Molave St., Project 3, Quezon City based on a search warrant issued by a Quezon City regional trial court.
Interpol chief Ricardo Diaz said the press was also printing high-quality posters showing the President clad in a "Darna" costume.
Darna is a popular Filipino superhero character while Valentina, whose head is full of snakes, is one of her enemies.
Diaz said two workers, identified as Efren Orfelia and Rommel Gasit, were arrested during the raid.
A printing press in Project 3, Quezon City, was raided by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)-Interpol, for reproducing anti-GMA posters.
In a search warrant issued by Natividad Giron-Dizon, Executive judge of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, All Ways Printing Press violated Article 154 of the revised penal code for possesion of seditious materials.
"President Evil," a poster released by broad progressive alliance LUMABAN KA!, was circulated nationwide. This was in lieu to their call for a national day of protest on June 30.
Meanwhile, Wilson Fortaleza, SANLAKAS president and one of the convenors of LUMABAN KA!, stated that the government has been violating the Philippine Constitution provision on freedom of expression. "GMA's paranoia over the issues raised against her has resulted to harrassing groups and individuals'," he added.
During the raid, two of the said printing press' staff were brought to the NBI office for questioning, and bulks of posters were confiscated.
NBI also attempted to confiscate the printing machine, but had a problem with transporting the said item. (Comment this)
>> We are not cowed. We will persist.
Today is supposed to be the declaration of martial law according to the text messages that were passed around few days ago. The text message warned that GMA will declare martial law, close down the media and cell phone companies, and arrest political and mass leaders.
As expected, the message was dismissed both by Malacanang, Congress and the military top brass as just one of the numerous text jokes from people with wild imaginations.
There is, indeed, no martial law today such as the one described in the text message. The military has not yet gone on a rampage of closing down the media and cell phone companies. Political leaders have not yet been arrested.
But there were already shades of martial law during the past few days, yesterday, and probably more in the coming days as the desperate GMA administration try to insulate itself from what it claims as purely destabilization attempts to topple her government.
We saw in the past few days Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales wield the old weapon of intimidation he learned from the Marcos regime by foisting anti-sedition charges against the wide range of forces now opposing the GMA regime and who are calling for her ouster.
In the past few days we saw the DOJ, the NBI, the National Telecommunications Commission, and the police become reckless and unthinking tools of the Arroyo administration, unmindful of the fact that things might be proven otherwise -- that they could have been serving the wishes of an unlawful and illegitimate government.
We saw in the last few days the arrests of and filing of anti-sedition charges against youth activists for posting anti-GMA posters along Kalayaan avenue in Quezon City. Furthermore, we saw the media threatened by the DOJ and NTC for airing the Tape.
We also saw yesterday a printing press raided by the NBI for printing Valentina, a lampoon poster portraying GMA as an evil incarnate pestering the lives of Filipino people. The poster also announces the June 30 National Day of Protest to be spearheaded by the movement called Lumalabang Mamamayan sa Kahirapan at Krisis or Lumaban Ka! The NBI team, during the raid, pulled out all the computers and arrested two hapless workers and is planning to file anti-sedition charges against the owner of the printing press.
WE CONDEMN ALL THESE. This is political harassment. This is political repression.
Is GMA so berserk she now finds no distinction between sedition and the freedom of _expression of our people? Is she so isolated from the people she finds no recourse but to rely on the support of the DOJ, the NBI, the NTC, the PNP and the military?
We believe so. Such is always the case of a President who had no clear mandate. Such is always the case of a President so despised by the people for being anti-poor and tutelage of foreign interests. Such is always a case of a regime that is so much beleaguered by intra-elite politics.
That is why we are fighting for change. Not only in the Office of the President but in the whole government. And for this, we vow to continue and intensify our protests against poverty, the crisis and against the Arroyo regime.
We will not be cowed. We will fight for our rights. We will fight for an alternative peoples government. We will persist.####
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