Bayan Muna welcomes Rep. Cuenco statement vs. persecution of Batasan 5

News Release – May 17, 2006

Virador: Bayan Muna welcomes Rep. Cuenco statement vs. persecution of Batasan 5

A militant legislator expressed some relief that a senior House member from the majority has spoken versus Malacanang’s political persecution of progressive legislators.

“Bayan Muna welcomes the intelligent statements of Cebu Rep. Antonio Cuenco, one of the senior and wise members of Congress. It is a relief that some members of the majority see the folly of baseless rebellion charges being pursued against us by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Justice Sec. Raul Gonzalez and National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales,” said Bayan Muna Rep. Joel Virador.

Rep. Cuenco urged Malacañang on Tuesday not to rely too much on the Department of Justice which had taken the “path of legal extremism and political rigidity.”

Cuenco, chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, also said the rebellion charges against the Batasan 5 should be dropped since they were straining the already tense relations between Congress and the Palace.

“We also appreciate the opinion of Rep. Cuenco with regard to governance and the rule of law. Obviously, Malacañang is the culprit in all angles with regard to respect towards institutions, civil liberties and strained relations between the legislature and the executive department,” Virador said.

“We daresay that steps to improvement in governance can only happen once more productive measures are undertaken with the improvement of the lives and livelihood of our people as our ultimate objective. This cannot happen with fascist high officials and advisers having their way in government,” Virador said.

“With Rep. Cuenco’s comments, we are further vindicated. We shall continue to work towards stopping the unabated oil price hikes and the cold-blooded murders of civilians happening on a nationwide scale. We shall also endeavor to raise the wages of private sector workers and salaries of government employees, and bring accessible services to the majority of our population. Instead of Charter Change, we shall work on these,” Virador ended. #