The progressive party-list bloc in the 15th Congress firmly believes that the impeachment case against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez can and will prosper if President Aquino and the Liberal Party-led coalition in the House musters the political will to make sure it does. The impeachment complaint only needs 90 signatures of endorsement and the articles of impeachment can immediately be sent to the Senate for trial.
It is incumbent upon the President and the LP leadership to ensure that the impeachment complaints succeed. Ombudsman Gutierrez's removal from office remains the litmus test of Pres. Aquino's promise to hold former president Arroyo and her cohorts accountable for their crimes. Only with a credible and competent Ombudsman can his administration expect to curb corruption.
As I listened for five hours last Wednesday to the oral arguments of the Hacienda Luisita lawyers, followed by sharp questioning by the Supreme Court justices probing into the controversial stock distribution option, my mind kept racing back to the long historic struggle of the Filipino peasants to own the lands they till.
The core element of agrarian reform, as we know, is social justice. Yet throughout the four centuries of Philippine colonial and neocolonial history, which is up to the present, the quest for social justice as regards the ownership of agricultural land has remained elusive. Read more at Philippine Star | At Ground Level
For two straight congresses, the Arroyo family dynasty has cornered four seats in the Philippine House of Representatives – possibly the most number of seats in a parliament ever occupied by a family.
“I will be writing the Guinness World Records to register the Arroyo family's feat so that they can be recorded side by side with former Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, who is listed as one of the world's biggest looters, and wife Imelda Marcos for her 3,400 pairs of shoes,” Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casino said.
We are a coalition with a definitive vision for change. A coalition that advances the aspirations, triumphs, and potential of the people’s parties, promotes nationalism, democracy, and the rights and welfare of the people at all times. Read more.