Youth Party Says Akbayan Stealing Votes : QC IMC

There have been reports of voters lists missing, widespread fraud and terrorism on May 10 – election day. But this one’s different: A party-list group has been accused of trying to steal votes from another.

Anak ng Bayan (nation’s children), the only youth sectoral party running for party list in last Monday’s elections, yesterday accused Akbayan! Citizens Action Party of stealing votes cast for the former.

Reports by Anak ng Bayan poll watchers and volunteers of other progressive party-list groups and allied candidates in Gen. Santos City; Digos, Davao Sur; Cotabato City; Mati, Davao Oriental; and Asuncion, Davao Norte, all in Mindanao; as well as in Metro Manila and other cities said that ballots containing “Anakbayan” in the party-list category were credited to Akbayan instead of Anak ng Bayan.

Anak ng Bayan leaders said this could have been the result of letters sent by Akbayan to the poll body’s boards of election inspectors asking that “Anakbayan,” “Akbay,” “Bayan” and “Akbayan Muna” should be counted in favor of Akbayan. One of such letters was distributed in Gen. Santos City and it was signed by Benjamin Sumog-oy, Akbayan national council member.

Apolinario Alvarez, Anak ng Bayan national president and House first nominee, however said that “Anakbayan” votes should be credited to Anak ng Bayan instead of Akbayan.

Anakbayan, Alvarez said, is one of the founding organizations of Anak ng Bayan youth party. Alvarez is also the incumbent chairperson of Anakbayan.

“Logic dictates that ‘Anakbayan’ votes should be counted as votes for Anak ng Bayan,” he said.

Party-list counsel Neri Colminares warned that Akbayan could be charged with false reporting. “They made it appear it’s [the letter] a Comelec sanction,” he said. “It’s below the belt. To a certain degree, Akbayan tends to influence the BEI.”

In some precincts, “Anakbayan votes” have been classified as “stray votes.”

“Under the law, the sounds alike rule should have been applied. Clearly, Anakbayan sounds closer to Anak ng Bayan than Akbayan,” Colminares said.

Malicious
Akbayan said, “It is clear that Akbayan is doing everything to disqualify and sabotage us.”

Alvarez recalled that Akbayan had filed a petition before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to order Anak ng Bayan to change its name. Akbayan argued Anak ng Bayan is being misconstrued as Akbayan.

“The timing could not be perfect,” Alvarez noted. “They did that after Anak ng Bayan ranked third in Pulse Asia’s first survey on party list. They wanted us to change our name in the middle of the campaign.”

Alvarez said Anak ng Bayan is totally different from Akbayan. Anak ng Bayan is the only youth sectoral party while Akbayan is a political party. “Akbayan is one word. Anak ng Bayan is three words. Our colors and logos are different. Akbayan is insulting the intelligence of the public,” he said.

Anak ng Bayan consistently made it to top five in all pre-election surveys for party list groups.

Deceiving
Weeks before the election day, Alvarez said, posters that read “Ano ang partido ng kabataan? Siyempre, Akbayan!” (What is the party of the youth? Of course, Akbayan!) were seen posted in many towns.

“Who is riding on the popularity of what party? Akbayan is deceiving the youth and the public. Anak ng Bayan is the only legitimate youth party accredited by Comelec,” Alvarez said.

“(Akbayan House nominee) Etta Rosales and her co-nominees should look at the mirror to stop hallucinating they are still young,” he said. “In fact, Akbayan did not take up a single issue of the youth in their three years in Congress.”

Political slander
Alvarez said Rosales serves as a mouthpiece of National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales. Both branded Anak ng Bayan and five other party list groups as fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

“We deem all these moves as part of the grand scheme to prevent us and other progressive party lists from taking office in Congress,” Alvarez said.

Anak ng Bayan called on the Comelec and the incumbent administration to act on the matter immediately.

Comments that violate the editotial policy (http://qc.indymedia.org/process/openpub.php) have been hidden.

The editorial guidelines say: "Everybody can add their own comments at the end of each article. Comments are subject to the guidelines for hiding. They can be used to add information; correct inaccurate or malicious information; rectify misinformation."

Insults and slander are not tolerated.

I doubt the accuracy of the above report; however a question needs to be asked. Which was first to be founded, registered as a party-list and their name coined – Akbayan or Anak ng Bayan? Now who is riding on the popularity of what party? Who is more popular – Akbayan or Anak ng Bayan? Let the election results judge.

The CPP and CPP front organizations, underground or otherwise, accuse Akbayan of being allied to the Philippine military while sections of the AFP accuse Akbayan of being a CPP front. Now which is which? The truth is Akbayan is an independent left organization - independent of the CPP and independent of the Macapagal government. (Actually it is Bayan Muna, Anak ng Bayan, Anak Pawis, Gabriela and Migrante who does not want to ally themselves to other left forces and instead readily embrace Trapos from K4 and KNP and turncoats and sell out pragmatists like Loren Legarda).

Another question needs to be asked is IndyMedia-QC is really independent? All they features are articles from the so-called “National Democratic” bloc i.e. CPP-NDF-NPA and Bayan, Bayan Muna, Anak Pawis, Anak ng Bayan, Gabriela, Migrante, KMU, KMP, PATRIOT, etc. Unlike IndyMedia-Manila, they never feature other left organizations like Akbayan, Bisig, APL, MASP, Sanlakas, PM, BMP, Kalayaan, KPD, Alab-Katipunan, Amin, FDC, etc. unless as an object of attack by “National Democratic” organizations. It is now time to expose IndyMedia-QC as a mouthpiece of the so-called "National Democratic" bloc.

PS - My previous comment mysteriously disappeared. Was it deleted? So IndyMedia-QC CENSOR comments now. It just proves my point. The truth may hurt but it will set the people free!

For IMC-QC slander from ND's are OK but comments from people with other point of view are not.

First off, your comment did not "mysteriously disappear" but was hidden as explained by editor. If you're out to discredit the editors of imc-qc, this attempt was pretty pathetic.

OK, you doubt the accuracy of this report. Fine! But your comment doesn't provide any basis for your doubts either.

By the way, don't tell me Akbayan is independent from the government. Its third nominee is actually on the negotiationing panel of... the government in the peace talks with the NDF. No links with the government? Think again, dude.

Re: imc-qc. Our frontpage newswire currently features stories by Filipino Youth for Peace, Bulatlat.com, Via Campesina, PILC, International Planning Committee Asia, Patriots, Northern Dispatch, Human Rights Watch to name a few. If you're of the opinion that these are all front organizations of the CPP you're either Norberto Gonzales, Joel Rocamora or paranoid.

11 out of 13 of your main frontpage feature articles pertains to ND organizations. More than 20 out of 30 or so IMC-QC newswire articles are either about ND organizations or comes from ND organizations or spokeperson. All pictures from Arkibong Bayan are from Bayan, Bayan Muna and other ND organizations.

Anyway as long as you don't censor my comments that's okay (delete or hide from public view - what's the difference) . Censorship, aside from monopoly of power, are features of NAZI Germany, Stalinist Soviet Union, Maoist China and Pol Pot's Kampuchea.

Do you know that in Mao's Cultural Revolution only 4 operas were being played through out the years, all of them CCP propaganda. 4 operas, thats the only "entertainment" they have. Is this the kind of "liberation" we want? Monopoly rule of one dominant party ruling in the name of the "proletariat" without any accountability. Wake up!

Thanks for the stats. Do you also check imc-manila?

Don't blame Arkibong Bayan that he missed your favorite activities. I guess he just prefers to go where the action is. It's his choice no? That's what 'independence' is about. Can you respect people's preferences?

Good to hear they had opera in China already more than thirty years ago. Do you know where the masses can see opera here in QC? Or anything else than American crap for that matter?

too bad anak ng bayan will not win in this coming elections. and why not? they can't even win an honest to goodness electoral campaign in the campuses (UP and PUP) and they expect they will do good in national elections? they can't even get the confidence of the "iskolar ng bayan", and they expect to get the support of the majority youth?

definitely akbayan is d more popular party in which anak ng bayan is trying to offset by maliciously confusing the public and riding on the crest of political independence of akbayan.

of course u guys will say that bayan muna is number one. so what? how did you get your votes? by using your armed might to harrass and gather votes through coercion and extortion? by engaging the trapos, kissing their assess and hiding your opportunist tactics with ideoligial underpinings and hysterical fantasies?

yep, number one nga kayo but at what cause? you guys are no better than gma, soc-dem norberto gonzales and all the neo-fascists in philippine society. u don't even belong to the left movement anymore. u ceased on becoming leftists, communists or national democrats-whatever that term means. ur just plain terrorists, rabble rousers hiding under the mask of progresive politics that you don't seem to practice in the first palce.

another, apo alvarez must be dreaming. anak ng bayan as the representative of the Filipino youth? who gave ur fledging and negligible party that role? so, are you insisting again on ur vanguard role? geez...

in conclusion, akbayan is not only popular but more appealing to the youth. akbayan votes proves that a large part of their votes came from the youth and of course from the working class. why criticize their posters? is it because akbayan youth is far more creative while your poster is the same bland, forgettable type? is it because akbayan youth made history by using the image of the great revolutionary che guevarra in philippine elections?

too bad, akbayan and its youth wing is the one gaining meaningful victories in philippine reactionary elections without using the tactics of threat, armed capacity, intimidation and harrassment. and that's a party that the masses will throw their confidence and support. not unlike bayan muna and all its satellite pseudo party lists. one thing uve proven this elections is that...........you're worse than the trapos, the ruling class and everything we hated in Philippine politics.

congrats sa bayan muna for being "number one".
sorry for anak ng bayan. see you in up and pup campus elections.

later,
dimas-alang

p.s. down with censorship. you can't call yourselves independent when you censor opinions.

By the way the 4 operas are all approved by Mrs Mao not by the whole CCP. Yes it maybe 30 years ago but "The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution" in China was the type of "liberation" advocated by Prof. Jose Maria Sison (China at present is revisionist). Yes it maybe 30 years ago but Marxists are suppose to learn from history! Yes most movies you see are Yankee crap but once in a ahile you will see movies like the one done by Michael Moore. There during that time only FOUR operas. That's all. All according to the taste of Mrs Mao.

And don't tell me Patriots and Bulatlat.com are independent. You must be kidding! I have bulatlat Bulatlat.com - most of their feature articles are the same as IMC-QC. I don't know who is copying whom. And all their links to PO-NGOs are all ND organizations! Now I know why Bayan & Bayan Muna are no no longer eager in updating their websites - they've got IMC-QC & Bulatlat.com. Kaya lang may nagbulatlat ng kanilang maskara. Buking.

the akbayan in zamboanga has more than enough reason to be wooried especially now that the Kabataang Makabaya nhas already established organs in several schools.

The akbayan is a preudo-revolutionary (more apprppriate to be called rabid anti-revolutionary) organization. It promotes a eletist culture inside the campus as Neil, their organizer in Zamboanga City receiving more than 14,000 pesoso monthly allowance has estafa cases in Ateneo de Zamboanga for not paying researchers in a certain documentary work.

magsialisan na kayo sa inyong "bulwark"! your days are numbered!

Eman Angeles
KM-Western Mindana

oooh! nginig!
by garfield the fat lazy cat Saturday, May. 07, 2005 at 8:32 PM

stop it, eman, you're scaring me.

AKBAYAN WOULD BE MADE TO ANSWER TO ANY LIFE LOST AMONG THE ACTIVISTS WHO ARE IN THE LEGAL ARENA OF STRUGGLE

for any life lost, for any name misquoted by the blood-thirsty terrorists within the AFP, AKBAYAN and MASP would be made to answer before the revolutionary government.

the spate of political killings today signal the very effect that may result upon the continuing slander of the MASP AKBAYAN people towards activists in the cities. they are not only feeding the appetite of the military, they are even encouring the series of attacks to the legal movement which already claims at least 87 lives, including a city councilor, a priest, a pastor, a lawyer, and countless of ordinary peasants.

Should there be at least 1, at least ONE, life among the activists in the zamboanga city lost , the MASP including the AKBAYAN gang will be charged before the people's court.

as we quote your "beloved" che guevarra, "you may kill a hundred revolutionaries, but you can never kill the revolution...". so you, rabid anti-communists and reactionaries, think twice, the revolutionary movement is closely watching you..

eman angeles
KM- Western mindanao region

We are alarmed by the coming of ND individuals in Zamboanga City. Not because we are political rivals but because they use immature and dirty tactics to get themselves noticed.

Without hesitation, they fabricated false and malicious accusations against our organizations and leaders. In this thread, they made-up stories against one of our leaders accusing him of promoting elitist culture in schools, earning 14,000 pesos monthly as organizer and having estafa case in Ateneo.

Before God and Man we say that none of these is true.

First, on the accusation of promoting elitist culture in schools;
MASP in Zamboanga City has a consistent record of fighting for the rights of the students. As a matter of fact, we are the only organization here that has the image of being critical and activist. You may dig on our records since 1994 and you will be surprised of our victories against elitism and student oppression.

Second, on the accusation of earning 14,000 pesos monthly as organizer;
Our role as organizers is driven by our commitment to advance the cause of the marginalized and the oppressed. Definitely, our organizations do not have the luxury or intention to provide monetary compensation to organizers. Some of us may be earning to support our basic needs but we do it in our capacity as decent working professionals and not as political organizers.

Third, on the accusation that one of our leaders has estafa case in Ateneo;
They were referring to our activity way back May 2004 on the people’s agenda. We made a contract for a documentary film to be presented in a people’s assembly. Unfortunately, the contracted group from Ateneo did not finish that specific piece of work. As a matter of fact they only made 30% of the work. As a consequence, we paid them only 75% of the professional fee. It was indeed a fair professional decision on our part. The situation is already settled long time ago and definitely no estafa case was filed.

We can only succeed in this struggle if we fight with justice and truth.
Learn to grow up mga Bok and good luck in your undertakings.

MASP-AKBAYAN Zamboanga

hindi ito ang panahon para mag-away ang mga kaliwa.

panahon ngayon para magkaisa at patalsikin si gloria, noli at buong comelec. panahon na para ipaglaban ang tunay na gobyerno ng mamamayan!

eh d lumabas din na talagang pasistang kaliwa ang RA. nahuhuli ang isda sa sariling bibig. hindi daw sila nagte-threaten at pumapatay. eh ano ngayon ito? hahaha mga bopols!!!

sige, tuloy lang ninyo yan, as if natatakot kami. you guys really are a funny bunch!!!

bay hangyo lang gamay. puede ihunong na nato ni kay dili gyud ni makatabang sa pag bag-o sa atong kahimtang. mura man pod ta walay pinagsamahan ani. kung tan-aw ninyo di na gyud ta puede magtinabangay, ok lang .

huna hunaa lang gud na kaniadto nag uban ta kaon, inom ug katawa.

Mga MASP members tigilan nyo na ang pamumulitika nyo! ANg mga gimik na yan di ka2gatin ng mga zamboangueno! MGA EWAN! ANo gusto nyo magrally? Bumalik na kayo sa lungga nyo! TIGILAN nyo na ang mga mararangal na taong tinitira nyo! MGA KAWATAN kayo ng tiwala ng mga taong naloloko ninyo!

hoy, bugok! paramihan tayo ng YS mob sa zamboanga baka kumain ng alikabok yang pinagmamalaki mong LFS/anakbayan/KM.

wala base ND ys dito sa zamboanga.

RE: ano na talaga balak nyo?
by Kabataang Tunay ma Makabayan Thursday, Jul. 07, 2005 at 8:00 AM

ei!kung kawatan kami sa tiwalang ibinibigay sa amin ng mga tao, ano na lang kaya ang tawag sa inyo?