NY FILIPINOS JOIN IN INT’L DAY OF ACTION TO SAY GLORIA RESIGN, OR BE OUSTED! : QC IMC

For Immediate Release

July 12, 2005

For Reference: Dr. Robyn Rodriguez and Berna Ellorin, Spokespeople, NY Coalition for Gloria’s Ouster (N.Y.C. 4 G L.O)
Phone: 718-768-2021 / Email: nychrp @ yahoo.com

NY FILIPINOS JOIN IN INT’L DAY OF ACTION TO SAY GLORIA RESIGN, OR BE OUSTED!

NEW YORK— Over 50 Filipinos and concerned friends came together on
Tuesday, July 12, in the Filipino commercial district of Woodside,
Queens to participate in an internationally-coordinated action
projecting their condemnation of the current Philippine President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“This day is significant because right now Filipinos all over the world
are simultaneously coming together in mass mobilizations, especially
here in the United States, to say that even though we are overseas, we
have not forgotten our homeland, and we want this fake and illegitimate
president to step down as much as our compatriots in the Philippines,”
stated Dr. Robyn Rodriguez, an immigration scholar from Rutgers
University, and spokesperson for the New York Coalition for Gloria’s
Ouster (N.Y.C. 4 G.L.O).

International indeed, coordinated actions in New York, Seattle, Los
Angeles, San Francisco calling for Gloria’s resignation, and led by the
bigger umbrella of the U.S. Alliance for GMA’s Resignation, timed
themselves to the tee with national protest actions culminating in
Manila on the same day.

In New York, community organizations Philippine Forum, Anakbayan NY/NJ,
New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, as well as
teachers, domestic workers, lawyers, and youth led the broad spectrum
of Filipinos that are substantiating the Philippine president’s
plunging popularity.

Humorous ringtones featuring the now-infamous “Hello Garci” wiretapped
recordings blasted through loudspeakers along 69th and Roosevelt
Avenue, while a giant cellphone titled “Cinungaling” (a play on the
popular brand Cingular) and featuring Gloria’s face playfully read
“Press # to delete. Oust Gloria!”. Several onlookers and passersby,
amused by the rally’s colorful antics, were compelled to join.

After exposes of illegal gambling and massive electoral fraud in last
year’s elections, the Macapagal-Arroyo regime has been slammed by a
growing mass movement calling for regime change.

“But this goes beyond the jueteng and elections scandal,” stated Berna
Ellorin of BAYANusa, also a convenor of the NY alliance. “The people
placed their trust in Arroyo after ousting a corrupt Estrada regime
back in 2001. But instead of taking us forward, Gloria has taken us 100
steps backwards. She has embraced Bush’s war and opened our soil to US
military training. The Philippines is the 4th largest recipient of US
military aid. She has driven our country to an intense fiscal crisis by
way of rampant corruption, and she takes home the prize for the highest
record in human rights violations under her regime than any other in
recent history.”

Ellorin also stressed that Gloria’s refusal to resign will inevitably
lead to her ouster.

As for the best direction ahead post-Gloria, protestors showed their
support for the idea of a transitional national council that would act
as a consultative body and decide on the next steps for the country.
“Plainly and simply, [Vice President] Noli de Castro is NOT AN OPTION!”
Rodriguez exclaimed.

For more information on the NY Coalition for Gloria’s Ouster
(N.Y.C 4 G L.O.), contact Dr. Robyn Rodriguez or Berna Ellorin at
718-768-2021 or email nychrp @ yahoo.com. ###