Youth builds alliance against Con-Ass, ChaCha

Iloilo City, – Upholding the principle that youth plays a vital role in nation building and registering social changes in our motherland, student and youth organizations in Iloilo convened last June 13, 2009 at the Retreat House St. Clements’s Church, La Paz, Iloilo City and formed an alliance group called the “KABATAAN KONTRA CON-ASS AT CHACHA” or K2C2 with the theme “Ngayon na ang panahon. Kabataan, bahagi tayo ng pagbabago!”. The alliance condemns and protests congressmen who signed and agreed on the passage of House Resolution (HR) 1109, stating that the Lower House of the Congress shall convene as a Constituent Assembly to amend the 22-year old Constitution.

‘Youth can make a change!’

“Youth occupies almost 60 percent of the population. This remarkable number, undeniably, can truly make a change! It is prudent to be vigilant and militant regarding issues. Taking no stand should not be an option because if we take it to legal matters, silence means consent.”, Atty. Joshua Alim, one of the convenors of Ilonggo’s Movement Against Arroyo’s Charter Change (I-MARCH), said during the discussion of Charter Change and the youth’s role on the issue.

He also emphasized the reason why the campaign is against ‘Arroyo’s Charter Change. “Sang ginpasar sang mga Kongresista naton ang HR 1109 sa Kongreso, naghambal si Gloria [Arroyo] nga untata kag ibasura ang Con-Ass haw? (When HR 1109 was passed and approved by our Congressmen in the Lower House, did Gloria ever take actions to stop and junk Con-Ass?”

Why Chacha now?

Julie Bedrio, one of Lead Convenors of K2C2 and Western Visayas Regional Director of Kabataan Party, said “Ang kabataan at ang bayan ngayon ay nahaharap sa napakaraming mga krisis, tapos [mas] uunahin pa ng mga kongresista natin ang Cha-cha na yan?(The youth and the nation are facing numerous crises yet our lawmakers in the Lower House prioritized Charter Change.)” K2C2 strongly denounces the continuous increases in Tuition and other Fees amidst global financial crisis. It reiterates the youth’s right to education and the state’s responsibility to make such education accessible to all, as stipulated in the Constitution.

“Yung House Bill 2044 nga na nagtatakda ng tatlong taong moratorium sa pagtaas ng matrikula at iba pang bayarin ay hanggang ngayon ay nakabinbin pa rin sa kamara, na alam naman natin na [kahit papaano] ay makakatulong sa mga kabataan at kanilang pamilya.(House Bill 2044, the one that mandates a three-year moratorium in tuition and other fees, is still pending in the Congress until now, yet we all know that this would [at least] help the youth and their families.)”, she added.

Edgar Pelayo, one of the speakers during the convention, said “Youth should do something now. Their future is at stake. These congressmen won’t do well for the people because they will only bring and assert their personal and of their master’s interests. It is the time for the youth to move.”

‘Expect more of the youth!’

After the discussions and open forum, the newly-formed alliance made plans for their campaigns and propagandas in relation to their opposition to Con-Ass and Cha-Cha. They collectively created their manifesto of unity, asserting that amending the constitution by a Con-Ass will not bring the true interest of the youth, in the particular, and of the nation, in general. Every school or unit will hold local activities such as teaser-hanging, room-to-room campaigns and discussions, picket rallies and posting of teasers and position papers in their respective campuses, aside from the activities that the whole alliance will be consolidated. On June 15, K2C2 planned to hold a candle-lighting activity at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol.

James Saguino, one of the Lead Convenors from League of Filipino Students-Iloilo, said “Expect more of our movements and mobilizations to show our protests to this Constituent Assembly. The youth shall not remain timid and quite as long as basic human rights are concerned.” Leo Balidiong, also a Lead Convenor from WVSU-Anakbayan said “Only through militant struggle can the best in the youth emerge.”

Organizations who attended the said convention were WVSU-USC, WVCST-SG, Young Christian Workers, UPV-Sandigan para sa Mag-aaral at Sambayanan (SAMASA), UPV-Oikos, WVSU-Political Science Students Organization and WVSU-Oikos, together with the Kabataan Party, League of Filipino Students and Anakbayan as Lead Convenors’ Organizations.

KKCC asserts stronger gripe against Cha-cha, PGMA

Iloilo City – The protests of youth leaders and organizations in Iloilo City against House Resolution 1109 become stronger as the ongoing quandaries agitate them more in fighting for the end of Arroyo’s regime. Among these issues were Arroyo’s trips abroad amid crises, the allegedly secret agreement on land between the Philippine government and Bahrain, the ceaseless cases of extrajudicial killings [and until now, justice has not been served] , the incessant increase of oil prices, the high cost of education, corruption cases and a lot more.

The newly-founded Kabataan Kontra Cha-cha (KKCC), a nationwide alliance of youth and students condemning the passage of the said resolution, leads the present youth movement calling for the government and the Congress to refrain both the attempt for Charter Change and doing such through a Constituent Assembly, as stipulated. In the midst of crises, instead of brainstorming the solutions to these predicaments, the Lower House prioritized the passage of the resolution stating how our constitution would be amended. KKCC was launched on June 19, commemorating also the birthday of our national hero, Jose Rizal.

Broader youth movement

The alliance formation of KKCC in Iloilo first convened last June 13 at the St. Clements’s Church in La Paz, Iloilo City. On June 27, the alliance, again, called for a convention for a broader and more comprehensive alliance formation. Previously, it was participated by youth and student organizations in Iloilo City like Kabataan Party-Panay, National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP), League of Filipino Students (LFS)-Iloilo, Anakbayan-Iloilo, Young Christian Workers (YCW)-Iloilo, West Visayas State University Political Science Students’ Organization (WVSU-PSSO), Western Visayas College of Science and Technology Student Government (WVCST SG), LFS-UPV Iloilo, UPV-Sandigan para sa Mag-aaral at Sambayanan (SAMASA), UPV Oikos, WVSU-Oikos, Anakbayan-WVCST, Anakbayan-WVSU and Anakbayan - Community.

During its second convention on the 27th, new organizations joined the alliance, namely John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University Supreme Student Council (JBLFMU SSC), WVSU Institute of Management Student Council (WVSU IMSC), WVSU Scintilla Juris Fraternity and the Student Christian Movement of the Philippines. KKC created a resolution reiterating their objective for a wider alliance.

KKCC to hold Iloilo-wide alliance launching

After the grand launching of the national alliance of KKCC, the alliance of Ilonggo youth and students will hold a launching, tentatively schedule on July 4. It will have a whole day activity to be participated by the convenors and members of the alliance. KKC has invited Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raymond Palatino to be the guest speaker. Every school also has their local activities to show opposition to Cha-cha. Rep. Palatino will hold school hopping to talk about Charter Change and how it is related to the Philippine Educational System. The Kabataan Partylist (KP) is one of the partlylists who were given one seat in the Lower House just his year and it is the only partylist inside the Congress that asserts youth interests. KP is one of the authors of HB 2044, stipulating of a three-year moratorium on tuition and other fees increases.

Manifesto of Unity

The alliance also drafted and promulgated a manifesto of unity which was disseminated nationwide. It narrates youth’s role in nation-building and registering real social change. “We have always been at the forefront of uprisings and revolutions every time the social, political and economic conditions in society become too intolerable. We cannot remain silent or with our arms crossed. We cannot remain indifferent while our own future as a people and a nation are being compromised for selfish political ambitions. The stakes are too high for us to take a pass.”

The manifesto pointed out five major points why they oppose the said actions in amending the constitution: 1) Any attempt at charter change by the Arroyo administration would only serve to extend President Arroyo’s regime; 2) Charter change can be used by Arroyo to perpetuate herself in power through Martial Law; 3) Charter Change will worsen the economic and social crises plaguing the country; 4) Charter change will aggravate the colonial, corrupt and commercial characteristics of Philippine culture, education and mass media; and 5) Charter change can allow further foreign intervention and exploitation by allowing one-sided treaties detrimental to national development and progress.

The manifesto of unity was given to the different schools for signature campaign. The signatures consolidated will be submitted in the Congress on PGMA’s State of the Nation Address which will be on the 27th of July. This manifesto is also in the internet for the online petition signing (http://www.kabataanpartylist.com/notochacha).

“We call on all democracy-loving youth and citizens to stop efforts to change the Constitution before the 2010 elections. The government's desperate efforts to continuously cling to power have sown deep social discontent and division among the people. We strongly believe in the sovereign right that rests on the people to change a morally bankrupt and corrupt regime with a conscientious leadership that can genuinely unite the nation and can bring forth meaningful social change.” – Kabataan Kontra Cha-cha-Iloilo