Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, and Gabriela lead SWS poll

March 9, 2007

Crackdown fails: Bayan Muna Anakpawis and Gabriela lead SWS poll

Despite the Arroyo government's crackdown against them, Bayan Muna and two of its allied parties are set to attain the top three spots in the May 2007 partylist elections, leaving far behind other partylist groups, mostly supported or organized by authorities.

Results of the Social Weather Stations survey for Feb. 24-27 revealed that Bayan Muna is set to recapture the top spot with 17% percent.

Bayan Muna was the topnotcher in the 2001 and 2004 elections.

In the same survey, Anakpawis captured second place with 9.4 percent, with Gabriela Women's Party at third place with 8.1 percent.

If the SWS poll holds until election day, the three partylists will each have three seats in the next House of Representatives.

In a statement, Bayan Muna General Counsel and third partylist nominee Neri Javier Colmenares said that "besides the harasssment suits and the military infestation in Metro Manila bailiwicks, massive fraud and intimidation of a Hello Garci scale remain the only stumbling blocks to Bayan Muna's becoming partylist topnotcher for the third straight time."

"The survey results confirm the high level of trust and confidence of the electorate in Bayan Muna. Its reputation as a fighter and champion of the poor and the oppressed has worked like magic over the black propaganda, harassments and extrajudicial killings against the party," said Colmenares. "The people are set to honor our martyrs and heroes by electing Bayan Muna with an overwhelming electoral mandate."

"Even the questionable issuance of an arrest warrant on House Deputy Minority Leader Satur Ocampo is not a downer. It raises Bayan Muna's standing in the eyes of the electorate. We are proud to be dubbed an enemy of the lying, cheating and stealing Arroyo government," said Colmenares.

According to Colmenares, "even the worst scenario that Malacañang may now be working hard to happen -- which is to capture Ka Satur in a high-profile yet humiliating manner -- is bound to boomerang on them and result in more sympathy votes for Bayan Muna."

"Only Mrs. Arroyo and the far-right militarists think bad about leftist parties fighting fair and square and winning elections," said Colmenares.

Two other partylists groups – Kabataan and Suara Bangsamoro – are within striking distance to get at least two percent each, enough to be able to position one representative each for the House.