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Saturday, July 16, 2005
Rallyists defy ban on bringing kids
By Lovely Lady Villanueva
Sun.Star Correspondent
With three grandchildren in tow, Asturia Cuizon braved the sun’s heat and took to the streets with her neighbors yesterday to demand for President Arroyo’s resignation.
Asturia, 55, defied government warnings against bringing children to rallies and joined other parents and grandparents in the gathering, one of the many protest actions the Akbayan vowed to hold until Arroyo resigns.
Asturia, of Barangay Carreta, Cebu City, said she has suffered under the Arroyo administration. With the present economic crisis, feeding her five children and seven grandchildren has become impossible.
Difficult life
“(Former president Joseph Estrada) was better because he listened to the people and left Malacañang. Arroyo has to step down because she’s making life more difficult for us poor,” Asturia said in Cebuano.
Asturia sells “puto” to augment the unstable job of her children.
Like Asturia, Lilia Reyes, 57, and Agapita Ygot, 78, also wanted Arroyo to resign.
Reyes said that since last December until this month, she has not received her husband’s pension. She said she was told to submit documents such as baptismal and birth certificates before she can claim her husband’s pension.
“I received the pension before. Why can’t I claim it now?” She said.
She is also dismayed that the pension has not been increased despite the rise in the prices of basic commodities.
Agapita Ygot has to deal with the same problem everyday. With four children and 20 grandchildren to look after, selling fruits is no longer enough.
Alvin Dizon, Akbayan secretary general, said their organization used to support the Arroyo administration. But not anymore, with Arroyo losing her credibility with the recent controversies she’s facing.
More than 50 members of Akbayan lay down on Colon St. and chanted anti-Arroyo slogans.
“What we are doing is a symbolic protest action in solidarity with the other groups. This is a nationally coordinated rally in nine key provinces and cities in Luzon and Mindanao,” Dizon said.
“We are confident in our protest because the Cebuanos are very open-minded. What we are doing is a peaceful demonstration and we are confident that not one of our members will be physically hurt in any of our protest rally,” Dizon said.
Akbayan will also hold a tour in five major colleges and universities in Cebu, to be headed by Prof. Randy David, to encourage Cebuanos from the middle class to join in the call of Arroyo’s resignation. (LLV)
(July 16, 2005 issue)
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