on the dispersal of SONA rally

The Alliance of Progressive Labor deplores the ruthless dispersal of the protest-march by Akbayan and MASP or Movement for the Advancement for Student Power, during the State-of-the-Nation address of GMA in Congress.

The police blocked our peaceful march in front of the St. Peters Basilica Church along Commonwealth Avenue, in Quezon City on our way to Congress. However, the police did not settle for any negotiation and immediately pushed the group back using their shields. Although we were already retreating slowly, the police began using their truncheons and hit anyone in front of them thus injuring many of the protesters that include Edwin Bustillos, Deputy Secretary General of APL.

The police continued chasing us until we are about a kilometer away. We regrouped and held an indignation program until all participants were found. Gil Taer, a union official from the National Union of Workers in Hotels and Restaurants and Allied Industries (Nuwhrain), who was arrested during the dispersal, was later released by the police upon the intervention of Akbayan's lawyers.

What happened was a clear indication that the Arroyo government's handling of our legitimate right to free expression is worsening. The police had become disturbingly inconsistent and intolerant in dealing with protest rallies. Weeks ago, during our campaign to save the life of Angelo Dela Cruz, the police prevented us from reaching Mendiola when they ruthlessly dispersed us along Recto.

The intention of the Arroyo government is clear: to cow us by using brute force. We have been in this situation before but we have only become more resilient and determined in fighting for our rights that lead to the overthrow of the Marcos dictatorship and setting-up of democratic institutions in our society.

However, we all know that these institutions are still controlled by the elites. Until the vestiges of oppression and exploitation are completely overwhelmed by our struggles, our hard earned democratic space will always be in danger of being taken away from us.

Thus, let us not stop our struggles until we finally fulfill our avowed commitment for a society that will truly uphold the interest of the Filipino people. Let us not stop until the government has completely abandoned its neo-liberal policies that only cater to the interests of the capitalists. Let us not stop until social justice and the equitable distribution of wealth are fully realized. Let us not stop until our future is secured not by the rich and the elite few but by the workers and other basic sectors in our society.