8/11/2019 Contend Statement -Edsa 2014

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8/11/2019 Contend Statement -Edsa 2014

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record of 142 extra-judicial killings and 164 frustrated extrajudicial killings. The US-Aquino Regime even appointed ex-military personnel to human rights board and promoted generals who were known to be notorious human rights violators.But the most savage violence unleashed by the US-Aquino Regime against the people is to abandon the millions of victims

of typhoon disasters (Pablo and Yolanda), the thousands of civilians displaced by Zamboanga siege, and the Boholearthquake victims. By abandoning the victims of war and disasters, the US-Aquino Regime has shown its true interest: topromote of big businesses by parcelling out the rehabilitation of Tacloban to top ten corporations. To defend the interestsof the big businesses, Pres. Aquino appointed Sen. Ping Lacson, a henchman of military fascism as rehabilitation czar. AndSen. Lacson has shown his tenacity to supress the intensifying people surge against the ineptitude of the US-AquinoRegime during post-Yolanda recovery by labelling the movement as communist .

Confronted with this outrageous fiasco of the US-Aquino Regime we the members of Congress ofTeachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy vow to continue to fight for what the martyrs and heroes who foughtthe US-Marcos dictatorship. We urge our fellow educators, educational workers and students to seize the missedopportunities of Edsa People Power I and advance the peoples struggle to address the root causes of our economic andsocial miseries. We urge all educators to explain to our students the historical significance and limitations of Edsa I and thehistoric lessons we have to learn from the peoples movement that led to it. We call on our colleagues in the teachingprofession to stop romanticizing Edsa I as the final liberation of our people from dictatorship. Edsa People Power I must beseen as just a part in the series of peoples actions to arouse, organize and mobilize to overthrow the semi -colonial, semi-feudal , and bureaucrat capitalist system that exploits our people.

Today, 28 years after euphoria of EPP1 we join the millions of Filipino people and organized movements inwrestling away the meaning of Edsa I from the US-Aquino Regime that glorifies and intensifies the state violence againstthe workers, urban poor, poor women and children, landless peasants, and indigenous people. We join all progressivesectors of our society and all patriotic movements who are persistently fighting not merely for a change in regime but for asystem change!

We salute and pay the highest tribute to the countless activists, including students and teachers, who valiantlyfought the US-Marcos dictatorship. We honor their memories by vowing to never let their sacrifice be wasted in vain!

Honor the martyrs and heroes who fought the US-Marcos dictatorship!Oppose the intensifying state violence of the US-Aquino Regime!Down with bureaucrat capitalism!Down with feudalism!Down with fascism!Down with imperialism!Advance the people s struggle for national independence and genuine democracy!