Sunday, March 11, 2007

Ka Bel Files Candidacy as ANAKPAWIS No.1 Nominee

Ka Bel Files Candidacy as ANAKPAWIS No.1 Nominee
Supporters rally for Ka Bel’s freedom; demand Comelec to enforce election rules banning military campaign against progressives


PRESS RELEASE
March 12, 2007


The family and supporters of Anakpawis Rep. Crispin Beltran led by the Free Ka Bel Movement (FKBM) will troop to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) today to join the detained lawmaker’s formal filing of candidacy as ANAKPAWIS Party List’s number one nominee.

According to Dennis Maga, FKBM Spokesperson, “The case of Ka Bel is an outstanding case of political repression under the Arroyo watch. We denounce the agents of the Arroyo government who now threaten to arrest Ka Satur Ocampo on fabricated murder charges just as they arrested Ka Bel on rebellion charge using fabricated evidence.

Maga, himself a victim of warrantless arrest during a rally demanding Ka Bel’s freedom on February 27, 2006, added, “We continue to demand Ka Bel’s freedom and we demand immediate arrest of all government agents involved in the unjustified arrests, abduction, killings and all forms of attacks against Arroyo’s critics. We also challenge the COMELEC to enforce election rules banning military campaign against progressive candidates. Urban and rural communities must be cleared of military troops who threaten the people not to vote for ANAKPAWIS and other progressive party-list groups.”

At the same time, Maga expressed concern on the fire incident at the COMELEC building, noting that the burning of records could be part of deliberate moves to bury the issues of fraud and corruption in the 2004 elections.

Citing the latest SWS survey showing the lead of Bayan Muna, Anakpawis and Gabriela, Maga concluded, “We are confident that despite the government’s dirty tricks and vicious attacks, more and more Filipinos will vote for ANAKPAWIS Party List with Ka Bel as no. 1 nominee because the public can see the grand deception, fraud and violence orchestrated by the military and various agencies under MalacaƱang.”