Tuesday, February 26, 2008
OFWs launch online petition calling for Arroyo's resignation (4:10 p.m.)
MANILA -- A migrant workers group on Tuesday launched an online petition and signature campaign calling for the resignation of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo after admitting that the multi-million dollar ZTE broadband project was flawed.
Connie Bragas-Regalado, chairperson of Migrante International said the petition aims to gather signatures from Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families in support of the mounting calls for Arroyo to step down.
The global petition campaign called the Bagong Bayani Ayaw kay Gloria (Babay Gloria) was launched with a petition signing along an area in Manila where hundreds of seafarers congregate daily.
"This Babay Gloria petition encapsulates how our kababayan's abroad unite with the people's demand for Gloria to step down. It will be circulated among our member organizations and international network. It can also be found online at http://www.petitiononline.com/babay/petition.html," said Regalado.
According to Regalado the petition will be distributed in key countries such as Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada and the United States.
"We have had enough of seven years of your (Arroyo) administration's high-level corruption, gross human rights violations, political killings, abductions, electoral fraud, artificial economic development and subservience to foreign interests. We have had enough of your policy to export and commodify our labor, your extortion and criminal neglect of migrant workers and their families," the petition addressed to Arroyo said.
"Through your billion peso kickbacks, you essentially steal food away from our families' plate, rob our children's access to quality education, deprive our sick adequate public health care and withhold from migrants the urgent welfare services we need," the petition further added.
The migrant group further said they will not stop until Arroyo is out of Malacaņang together with the corrupt officials in the government. (MSN/Sunnex) |
