In a press con today Gabriela and other progressive partylists revealed the Oct 2006 memo signed by the Office of External Affairs (OEA) Assistant Secretary Marcelo T. Farinas II urging the formation of a Special Concerns Group (SCG) inside Malacanang's Office of External Affairs and requesting funding from Gloria's Intelligence Funds.
The Confidential Memo is addressed to the President through her close relative and Special Assistant Atty. Erlyn De Leon. Atty. De Leon is reportedly tasked with handling Arroyo's intelligence funds.
The OEA memorandum identified the pro-Arroyo partylists as follows: Babae Ka formed by OEA Director Nerissa Garcia, Lypad Partylist organized by Director Melvin Mitra, and Kalahi initiated by Director Poe Gratela. Others named in the document were the Alliance of Neo-Conservatives, Abono, Kasangga and Aging Pinoy.
There are actually more than 30 admin and military partylists that have been listed by the election watchdog Kontra-Daya.
Inside Links:
Palace plan to campaign vs anti-gov’t partylist groups bared
MIGRANTE exposes papers linking Gloria to electoral fraud
Kabataan hits plot to destroy partylist system
Palace plan to campaign vs anti-gov’t partylist groups bared
Malacanang execs deny allegation
By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez, Tetch Torres
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 04:25pm (Mla time) 04/20/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- There is a plan by Malacañang to campaign against anti-government partylist groups in the midterm elections to ensure that an impeachment move against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will not prosper, a militant leader said, quoting from a copy of an alleged document from within the Palace.
One Assistant Secretary Marcelo Fariñas II, head of the Office of External Affairs Special Concerns Group, in a memorandum dated Oct. 16, 2006, said the plan would include installing 9-12 pro-administration partylist groups in Congress; forming a partylist block; and reducing the number of votes of progressive partylist organizations.
When sought for a reaction, Fariñas and Gabriel Claudio, presidential political adviser, denied that there was such a memo, with Fariñas adding that such an accusation was “libelous.”
"It is clear that this move is to help counter the “grand plan” objective of the opposition. Definitely, they want to make sure that the impeachment case against the President will not prosper," said Gabriela Representative Liza Maza.
During the 13th Congress, 13 of the 24 partylist representatives voted for the impeachment of the President, Maza said.
Maza said that Fariñas also requested for a P5.5 million budget for the creation of pro-Arroyo partylist groups like Babae Ka, Agbiag, League of Youth for Peace and Development, and Kalahi Advocate and to support two to five other similar groups.
"There is a separate fund for the campaign," Maza said.
Maza said Fariñas even suggested that the amount be taken from the intelligence fund of the Office of the President.
Earlier on Friday, Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Gabriela, said that they would file a disqualification case against these groups before the Supreme Court and criminal and administrative complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman against Fariñas and lawyer Erlyn de Leon, special assistant to the President.
Palabay alleged that De Leon served as a conduit between the Palace and these partylist groups.
But Fariñas said that “there was no such memo.”
“In the first place, I'm not the head of the OEA, I don't have the personality to ask for support from Malacanang," he told INQUIRER.net in a telephone interview Friday.
The OEA serves as Malacañang's conduit to non-government organizations and other groups "to address the objectives of the President towards participation of the constituents in the development and implementation of the administration's programs," according to the mandate of the office.
Fariñas also denied issuing or receiving instructions from the Palace to campaign against partylist groups perceived to be anti-government.
Fariñas is the secretary general of the partylist group Agbiyag. However, he refused to divulge if he was one of its nominees, citing the law by the Commission on Elections.
He said he had been on leave without pay from the OEA since March until May 31 so that he would not be accused of using government resources for his partylist group.
"I have not received a single centavo from Malacañang to support Agbiyag," he said.
"Because of this bad publicity, other people are thinking we have a lot of money coming from Malacañang that's why they do not contribute anymore to the party. But we don't even have a TV ad while Gabriela had one with Senator [Manuel] Villar before the campaign started," he said.
Fariñas said his group represented the advocacy of all Ilocanos in the country and abroad.
"We want to have a voice in Congress that's why we are running," he said.
Meanwhile, Claudio said that such a memo was "inappropriate" and vowed to look into it.
"The proposal or request for such a budget to support a partylist group if there was one was inappropriate. We will look into it," said Claudio who has oversight functions over the OEA.
"Government funds and resources cannot be used for partisan purposes, including supporting a partylist group," he said in a text message to INQUIRER.net.
If there was such a request, Claudio said he was certain it would not be acted upon.
MIGRANTE INTERNATIONAL
News Release
April 20 , 2007
Hello Garci Part 2:
MIGRANTE EXPOSES PAPERS LINKING GLORIA TO ELECTORAL FRAUD
Migrante International today presented to media copies of a Confidential Memo and Partylist Campaign Proposal addressed to the President detailing how Malacanang will "bastardize" the Partylist system to massively cheat in the 2007 elections.
"This paper outlines underlines Gloria's direct hand in this despicable scheme. Our expose illustrates that even the darkest of fraudulent and fascist deeds will be thrust into the public spotlight. We denounce in the strongest terms this latest covert operation by the Arroyo regime to cheat in this year's elections," says Connie Bragas-Regalado, Migrante International Chairperson, noting the "Hello Garci" expose regarding fraud in the 2004 elections.
Bragas-Regalado said the papers she presented during a joint press conference this morning by Migrante, the Gabriela Women's Partylist, Kabataan Party and Suara Bangsamoro in Manila go beyond the reports of Partylist seats for sale.
The two page Memo is signed by Office of External Affairs (OEA) Assistant Secretary Marcelo T. Farinas II and is dated 16 October 2006. It outlines the formation of a Special Concerns Group (SCG) inside Malacanang's Office of External Affairs and requests funding from Gloria's Intelligence Funds.
The Confidential Memo is addressed to the President through her close relative and Special Assistant Atty. Erlyn De Leon. Atty. De Leon is reportedly tasked with handling Arroyo's intelligence funds.
"The OEA is Malacanang's dirty tricks department while the SCG is its Special `Covert and Cheating' Group. Both must be immediately exposed and investigated. They are using the people's funds for widespread electoral fraud and political persecution," added Bragas-Regalado, noting that the OEA is headed by Arroyo lackeys Usec. Eduardo Soliman Jr. and Asec. John Batara. She also questioned the role Special Assistant Secretary Atty. De Leon plays in this grandiose plan for electoral fraud and violence given that she allegedly controls Arroyo's intelligence funds.
For its part, the OEA-SCG is headed by Asec. Farinas, who is assisted by three Directors. It is tasked with creating government-funded partylists and supporting other pro-administration partylists to prevent Opposition solons from gaining a majority in the Lower House – to stop another impeachment complaint against Arroyo.
According to the papers, the four main partylist groups for Malacanang to support are Kalahi (OFWs), Babae Ka (women), LYPAD (youth), and Agbiag (Ilocano). The first three groups were formed by OEA-SCG Directors Poe Gratela, Nerissa Garcia and Melvin Mitra respectively while the fourth group, AGBIAG, was created by OEA-SCG head Asec. Farinas.
"These groups combined with the creation of other pro-admin partylists by the First Gentleman, the AFP and other wings of the regime must be immediately disqualified. They are part of a grand scheme for electoral fraud and violence that involves a range of fascist tactics, including urban militarization and political killings," said Bragas-Regalado, noting that the OEA Partylist Campaign paper targets progressive partylist groups Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Gabriela, Kabataan Party, Suara Bangsamoro and Migrante.
Bragas-Regalado concluded by calling on all Filipinos to remain vigilant in monitoring, reporting, exposing and opposing all attempts by the Arroyo regime to commit electoral fraud and violence in this year's elections. #
Kabataan Partylist
News Release
April 20, 2007
Kabataan hits plot to destroy partylist system
The country's leading youth partylist group today denounced the President's Office for External Affairs for planning to subvert the partylist elections by directly organizing and financing at least five fake partylists.
"Young Filipinos have wanted a partylist representative as early as 2004 but the Hello Garci operations favoring Mrs. Arroyo and pro-Arroyo partylist groups cheated us of victory. Now the OEA wants nine to 12 seats by hook or by crook -- the administration wants to have a repeat of Hello Garci to cheat genuine partylists and favor pro-Arroyo fakes," said Kabataan Partylist nominee Enrico Almonguerra.
In a memorandum dated Oct. 2006, the OEA's Asst. Sec. Marcelo T. Fariñas, head of the agency's Special Concerns Group, proposed to President Arroyo full administration support for "partylist groups ascertained to be pro-administration and ensure the winning of nine to 12 seats in the House." The amount of P5.5-million was requested to cover the period of Oct.-Dec. 2006 for five to eight pro-Arroyo partylists.
The OEA memorandum identified the pro-Arroyo partylists as follows: Babae Ka formed by OEA Director Nerissa Garcia, Lypad Partylist organized by Director Melvin Mitra, and Kalahi initiated by Director Poe Gratela. Others named in the document were the Alliance of Neo-Conservatives, Abono, Kasangga and Aging Pinoy.
"We call on all young voters to be vigilant, shun the fakes and support Kabataan Partylist," said Almonguerra. "These fakes will only represent GMA, not the youth who want good government and legislation for education, employment and empowerment."
"Lypad actually stands for Liars to the Youth, Paid Arroyo Defenders. We are sure the young voters will reject them," said Almonguerra who said that the first nominee of Lypad went to a son of Team Unity senatorial candidate Jamalul Kiram III.
Kabataan first ran for partylist representation in 2004 but fell short by 30,000 votes to obtain the two percent requirement for one seat. The Hello Garci telephone conversations included the padding of votes for pro-Arroyo partylists.
"While genuine partylists labor everyday to mount a credible nationwide campaign to get elected fair and square, President Arroyo's favored partylists are having a fun time wasting away public funds," said Almonguerra.
Almonguerra said President Arroyo may be impeached if her administration is proven to have meddled in the partylist system.
"Mrs. Arroyo has a reverse Midas touch. She has sabotaged many institutions like the presidency, the military and police, and the Lower House. Now, she wants to touch the partylist system and turn it into shit," said the youth leader. "We won't allow that to happen."
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