Yesterday, different sectors of Davao City and nearby cities and provinces converged at Freedom Park and marched to Rizal Park in order to protest the passage of HR 1109 and the so-called Constitutional Assembly of the Congress.
And like a slap on the face, one of the battlecries during the rally was this…
SHAME ON YOU CONGRESSMAN PROSPERO NOGRALES!
The Davao City Council is unanimous in fighting against Con Ass and has passed a resolution to express their indignation. Unlike “representatives” Nograles (District 1), Vincent Garcia (Dist 2), and Isidro Ungab (Dist 3), the city councilors truly represented the stand of their Davaoeño constituents. Among the councilors present during yesterday’s rally were Angela Trinidad-Librado, Myrna Dalodo-Ortiz, Tomas Monteverde III, Nilo Abellera, Pilar Braga, and Danilo Dayanghirang.
To kick off the rally, a statement from the People’s March Movement was read…
Two points against Con Ass were repeated and highlighted throughout the rally…
1. Now is not the time for a change of form of government and term extensions; and
2. No to the selling out of national patrimony via the allowing of foreign ownership of Philippine land and natural resources.
Dayanghirang pointed out that each public servant has a contract with the people. And their contract is about to expire. As a public servant, one should not go beyond or seek to extend that contract if the people does not will it.
The rally proceeded smoothly and there were policemen guarding the area. I even saw some policemen taking photos. Among the groups represented were Bayan Muna, Gabriela, the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), and some local colleges and universities. The crowd wasn’t as big as I anticipated, but I think we did our part in saying no to Con Ass, no to HR 1109, no to Gloria Forever and telling the Philippines that Davao is not Nograles and Nograles is not Davao! I think we lighted our own beacon of hope…
(more photos here)
Popularity: 1% [?]
Welcome aboard, Ria!
I did not see the headcount of the number of people who attended the Davao rally, but apparently, few people are attending the anti-1109 rallies.
“Six thousand showed up; one of the lowest turnouts“, says Inquirer.
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20090610-209795/Police-6000-attended-Makati-rally
HOWEVER: college- and high-school kids should still be encouraged since such rallies allow them a means to express their views on the evolving politics of the land.
ADULTS may want to act more powerfully. These political infightings need the octane of money. As an example, the Obama administration knows that money will be needed in order to push through the health-care reforms that they (Obama group) want to push, and are now asking those who share their belief to contribute $15.00-a-month towards a Democratic-Party action-committee. The grassroots fund-raising is for the soon-to-come political battle against insurance-company and drug-company lobbyists, the Republican Party as well as the many Americans who have a core-belief that BigGovernment should not intrude in people’s daily lives.
——————
Rallies are good but usually, these rallies are reactionary and become protests after the “other side” has already accomplished something that shows their gain in momentum. Fund-raising to support the organizations that fight your fight is more effective.
Of course, you have to trust the people you send your money to.
Exactly. As I mentioned in a recent blog on Transactional Politics
Not to demean the effectiveness of protest actions, there is more to democracy than rallies and protests. Protests, however, imho, are acts of desperation. It implies that the people are not in control of the agenda. In contrast, a proactive approach will have more opportunities for influencing the agenda towards the crafting of more meaningful legislation and public programs that matter.
I thought no one in Mindanao goes to rallies Bong. You’ve just been proven to be a liar!!!
Rosa:
where did I say – no one in Mindanao goes to rallies? UNSWA VIRGIN IMONG LOLA? :lol:
From your comments in one of your post Bong
“Or, break the Philippines up.
Mindanao is tired of Manila’s trapos and mobs.
You can have all the rallies you want.
and Mindanao will have the prosperity and stability it wants without being contaminated by Manila’s instability and drama”
Here you are saying Mindanao is tired of mobs and that the other parts of Phil can have their rallies. So why is Davao hosting rallies? This goes to show that this protest is not just in Manila but it is everywhere from Baguio to Cebu to Davao. The rallies that were conducted from all over Philippines show the discontent and anger of the Filipinos towards the GMA administration and the railroading of HR1109 was the last straw.
As for your last comment, all I can say is you are living up to the stereotype on what is mostly in the minds of people from place.
From your comments in one of your post Bong
“Or, break the Philippines up.
Mindanao is tired of Manila’s trapos and mobs.
You can have all the rallies you want.
and Mindanao will have the prosperity and stability it wants without being contaminated by Manila’s instability and drama”
Here you are saying Mindanao is tired of mobs and that the other parts of Phil can have their rallies. So why is Davao hosting rallies? This goes to show that this protest is not just in Manila but it is everywhere from Baguio to Cebu to Davao. The rallies that were conducted from all over Philippines show the discontent and anger of the Filipinos towards the GMA administration and the railroading of HR1109 was the last straw.
As for your last comment, all I can say is you are living up to the stereotype on what is mostly in the minds of people from YOUR place.
Well you see Rosa, Davao is not really for or against anything or anyone. It’s only a matter of whether it is for or against Davao City’s interests..
Liam, the pictures show placards that says No to ConASs, the blog title is People’s March DAvao against ConAss in which one of the battlecries is SHAME ON YOU NOGRALES who led the railroading of this Bill 1109, so where did you based that statement that Davao is not for or against anything when the people from Davao clearly were against CON-ASS? Does no mean yes to you Liam?
Rosa:
When I talk about rally in Davao, it’s not the typical Manileño “rally”.
When Davaoeños rally as in “rally of all sectors in Davao society”, they are organized, have planned for urban insurrection, and have an existing shadow government that is ready to declare a “liberated zone” and breakway from any Manila centric despot-led GRP.
Something similar to in 1984 – a time when then Senator Biazon was still a Marine Commandant stationed in Calinan.
That’s what I am talking about. The number of the people who attended the activity in Freedom Park is smaller than the number of people eating chicken BBQ in Torres Street on any Saturday night
No Rosa.. What I was trying to explain was the reason why there were so few rallyists in the said no con ass event.
in a city of 2 million, the few hundred people who attended the rally does not represent Davao City. Like bongV said, there are even more people eating BBQ in Torres than there was in the rally.
Rallies will only matter to Davaoeños if the repercussions are local. I’m not saying Davaoeños are apathetic to national causes and issues, its just that the current economic, political, and educational setup in Davao City allows its people to have a relatively high degree of autonomy even independence.
Correct me if I am wrong, but if there is one true Autonomous Region in Mindanao, that would be Davao.
Absolutely, Mindanao is tired of mobs and rallies – sure there were people who went to the rally, but I doubt percentage wise if the number even reached 0.2% of 2 million. 1 sparrow does not make a summer.
Most Davaoeños look at Manila’s mobs and rallies as so-the-drama. They have better things to do than to be suckered into the politicking given that no matter who sits in Malacañang – it will not mean any crap to the people of Davao. Life goes on, prices of commodities will be in a constant flux. For short, politics has been compartmentalized, the differences are downplayed, and the basis for unity is given emphasis – unity of vision, peace, prosperity, swift/decisive action, an EAGA-centric approach (EAGA being a state-sanctioned growth cluster – a pseudo-state composed of the areas farthest from the respective national capitals of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines; a rehearsal of the Asean Free Trade Area).
That politics in the Philippines sucks is a given. It is against that backdrop that Davaoeños have long ceased to engage in Manila-centric politics and has been pursuing the track of a virtual city-state since the mid 1990s.
Ria, maayong gabii sa inyong tanan!
What do think would be the sentiments of your fellow Davaoenos if one of the amendments to be made is to have a Federal system or greater autonomy for, say Mindanao or Greater Davao, assuming no term extensions for incumbent officials. Might charter change, through ConAss, merit a second look, yes?
Yes to Federalism.
Joe
A warm welcome to FV Ria.. Indeed, sometimes, being so Manila-centered as our nation can often be, we forget that the national sentiment does not end at the border of Manila alone.
Rallies are a low-brainwork-applied means to “participate”. That is why it has become a favourite pasttime in Da Pinas.
A rally is an interesting phenomenon. The rally shows the unity of many (hundred or thousands) against one event or one person.
The interesting part is this question of whether the many are united without the one and whether the many remain united after the TV cameras are off and they have taken down the stage.
The dynamics changes when the many demonstrate unity FOR a cause, FOR a purpose and for a PLATFORM of action-items.
The right to assembly is also a pasttime in Australia.
So you said it well, It can be a low-brain work because it takes a lot of emotions at work..
The key in every protest/rally is not the reason but rather the emotion from the oppression of the steward..
“When you fish for love bait with your heart not your brain”
Interesting side-note for all you Political minders out their. Apparently Dayanghirang is A MUTHEREFFIN Hypocrite. While he was making a speech about anti-NOgralism, an audience member was making snide comments about him. AS per informant, Dayanghirang is/was the most ardent supporter of NOggie in the City. He even sued Duterte once upon a time. So no I don’t think Filipinos are that stupid or amnesiac. They’re just afraid to speak out due to reprisals.
Good ‘ole Danny D has been at it since he was Council President of the University of Mindanao Supreme Student Government. He hasn’t change a bit since the days when Davao was the laboratory for urban resistance tactics.
Knew Nogie, as the lawyer representing Marcos in a trumped-up case of economic sabotage against my dad during the Martial Law days. He sure asked for a boatload of money to have the charges dropped. We sitted it out. The charges were dropped after ML.
Vince was a classmate in Atinyo Elementary School. The 1st district has been with the Garcias since I was in elementary school.
Knew Sid when he was still a councilor. Also know his younger bro, an MD in Memphis, TN. The Ungab clan has extensive landholdings in Calinan.
Each of them allegedly have “vote-farms”. These are properties with squatters. Squatters are allowed to live on the property, provided they vote for whoever the landowner tells them to. The rule is very simple – “no vote? ibut!” – it means, if you don’t vote as I tell you, get your squatting ass the hell out of my land.
The three are landed lumads, of Bagobo ancestry.
***
People’s Park was also called “Freedom park” in the early 80s.
Intriguing…
i saw quite a number of “rallyists” being interviewed on t.v. it was evident that (even among most students of ateneo and u.p.) so many of them are clueless about what they are exactly rallying for except, “no to cha cha” or “no to term extension”. encourage the youth to participate? not with a clear understanding of the issues at hand, for and against.
it appears, though, that the great majority of the “youth” sat this one out precisely because they saw the hollowness of the cause that are being peddled to them by naysayers who are without credibility.
correction: i should say “not WITHOUT a clear understanding…”
Yo, Bencard,
My reaction exactly when I saw women’s right’s activists marching Roxas protesting the VFA. As if the VFA were the root cause of abuse of women in the Philippines.
Joe
Continue the standoff. Talk to your relatives in the AFP, not to
participate in any grab for power of this Evil Unano. She will
fall for sure. The Wind of Change will blow her away to pieces
like Marcos.
All AFP people must not follow illegal orders from any officers
of this Evil Unano. If she falls. She will not be able to protect
you.
If only one wouldnt be carried away by emotion and media sensationalism and instead go by good sense alone he will see that those rallies are really five candidates vs. one tyrant and not thousands against one as the silly romanticists would like us to think.
GMA may only be the Farm Owner and the Orwellian Napoleon is lurking among those political opportunists who pride themselves “defenders” of the popular will. Haven’t RP got its lesson yet?
hi! ria, i’m partly from davao too.
the city council is not the same party as nograles right? they are with duterte?
Yo, read BongV’s reply. Their ALL against Nograles now. SUck-ups and pimps who kiss their ass to Mother CHurch and to the shortsighted political means.
Duterte is with HUGPONG.
Nogie is with Lakas-NUCD now KAMPI.
GabbyD, Davao is still feudal.
right now there there is one big, influential, but ailing feudal lord which is Duterte who command votes earned through the continued delivery of public goods and the heavy personality-centric authority and influence he developed during the 80s and 90s, battling local criminal gangs and placing order in the rather chaotic Davao city.
He controls the only effective political machinery in davao, the Hugpong. His fiefdom is insulated from national govt influence because of davao city being a charterd city which has some sort of financial-independence from the national government.
The minor Duke of Burgundy-type of feudal vassal is Nograles, although his fiefdom belongs to Duterte, his influence comes from national government pork and the perks that go along with belonging to the ruling class of the philippines.
If you will ask Davaoeños to choose between Nograles and Duterte, Duterte will unanimously win, hands down. However, Nograles, Duterte and the people of Davao, avoid going down to that question because their source of power are not entirely conflicting, and can go hand-in-hand for the benefit of Davao.
BUT THE QUESTION IS: Where is Duterte in the rally? You see folks, even if Nograles and Duterte are in what seems to be a bitter personal fight with each other, none of them are actually anti-GMA.
Excellent point Liam. To add, Nogie’s role is to secure out of the national pie, the goods that belong to Davao. As long as Nogie delivers those goods, Davaoeños will support him – whether he politics with GMA or not.
As far as Davao’s direction is concerned, it has long been on the track to a de facto city-state since the local government code was implemented.
so liam, ria..
my question is the political loyalties of the city council.
one would think that they are loyal to duterte. by saying they are against hr1109, that means duterte is also against it (otherwise, it wouldn’t pass, much less unanimous).
so duterte must tacitly support it, no?
not really gabbyD.
except for angela librado who is pro-left, others may may just be out for the popular vote. the simple answer to your question is that: the different political dynamics of davao city simply allows them to think independently on national issues without fear of repercussion.
almost all if not all of the councilors are with duterte anyway, since, like i said, he controls the only working political machinery in Davao city. you have to be really really rich and popular to launch an independent campaign in davao.
besides, if duterte was tacitly against cha-cha, he himself or his daughter or his son will be leading that rally. but not one of the three dutertes are there, so that should mean something.
but i cannot say authoritatively that duterte is in good terms with gma right now, its more of a let live cool off face between them as of the moment.
“i saw quite a number of “rallyists” being interviewed on t.v. it was evident that (even among most students of ateneo and u.p.) so many of them are clueless about what they are exactly rallying for except, “no to cha cha” or “no to term extension”. encourage the youth to participate? not with a clear understanding of the issues at hand, for and against.
it appears, though, that the great majority of the “youth” sat this one out precisely because they saw the hollowness of the cause that are being peddled to them by naysayers who are without credibility.”
The nerve to undermine students from UP or Ateneo?
Your view in fact reflects the cheap, low, and rather shallow understanding of this whole affair. Can we be not humble sometimes because I think people might just be laughing at comments like that.
I must agree, except I’m not one of those kids. I knew perfectly well why I was going. Still you have to remember that what the Church says goes. Most of them just went because they were told to by priests.
Duterte will win as COngressman for sure. Though I’m quite sure Duterte only kisses ass with Arroyo to leave DDS alone. By the way Digong is pro-left too. And if you’ve seen his weekly noon-time program you’d agree.