Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

Hidden Article

This posting has been hidden because it breaches the Indymedia UK (IMC UK) Editorial Guidelines.

IMC UK is an interactive site offering inclusive participation. All postings to the open publishing newswire are the responsibility of the individual authors and not of IMC UK. Although IMC UK volunteers attempt to ensure accuracy of the newswire, they take no responsibility legal or otherwise for the contents of the open publishing site. Mention of external web sites or services is for information purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation.

Philippines - Ranking Red exec named party-list third nominee

Joyce Pangco Panares | 02.11.2012 03:54 | Anti-militarism | Social Struggles | Workers' Movements | World

The Anakpawis party-list announced on Monday that it was adding the name of Randall Echanis, a political consultant of the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front (CPP-NDF), as its third nominee, a move which observers say could hasten the integration of the extreme left into the political mainstream.

Kupal - Kumunistang Partylist
Kupal - Kumunistang Partylist

Kupal - Kumunistang Partylist
Kupal - Kumunistang Partylist

Kupal - Kumunistang Partylist
Kupal - Kumunistang Partylist

Kupal - Kumunistang Partylist
Kupal - Kumunistang Partylist

Kupal - Kumunistang Partylist
Kupal - Kumunistang Partylist

Kupal - Kumunistang Partylist
Kupal - Kumunistang Partylist

Kupal - Kumunistang Partylist
Kupal - Kumunistang Partylist

Kupal - Kumunistang Partylist
Kupal - Kumunistang Partylist

Kupal - Kumunistang Partylist
Kupal - Kumunistang Partylist

Kupal - Kumunistang Partylist
Kupal - Kumunistang Partylist


Echanis, also the secretary-general of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), joined eight other nominees as Anakpawis representatives, led by fellow militant leaders Fernando Hicap and Joel Manglungsod.

Hicap is the chairperson of Pamalakaya, an alliance of activist fisherfolks, while Manglungsod represented Anakpawis in the 15th Congress (2010).

Pamalakaya and Anakpawis are two of several organizations under the umbrella of the NDF, a coalition of “progressive” social and economic justice organizations, agricultural unions, trade unions, indigenous rights groups, leftist political parties, and other related groups.

Other groups under the NDF which had successfully entered mainstream politics through the partylist system include the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), Anakbayan, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan or BAYAN, Bayan Muna, KMP, Gabriela, Kabataan and the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap or Kadamay (Kadamay).

As this developed, the military reported that four army soldiers from the 43rd Infantry Battalion, 8th Infantry Division (8ID) in Samar were killed in an armed encounter against elements of the New People’s Army (NPA) over the weekend.

Capt. Gene R. Orense, chief of Division Public Affairs Office, said the encounter happened in the vicinity of Brgy. Ramon, Gandara.

Orense said the soldiers were members of the ‘Bayanihan Teams’ performing peace and development activities in close coordination and collaboration with the local government unit.

He identified the slain soldiers as Sgt. Ruel Aranquel of Tagadtaraqn, Burauen, Leyte, Pfc. Ruben Gajes of Katarungan, Ubay, Bohol, Pfc. Narciso Pabunan of Lokilokon, Paranas, Samar and Pfc. Joey Panoy of Geratag, San Jose, Northern Samar.

The gunfire, which lasted for about 30 minutes, wounded two other government troops while an undetermined number of casualties were recorded on the NPA side, according to Orense.

Despite these developments, Malacanang said it welcomes the participation of Echanis in the political exercise.

“We have always maintained that a non-violent participation in the political mainstream would certainly be welcome from whatever sector you come from – whether from the extreme right or from the extreme left,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

“Because you acknowledge the legitimacy of the process, you acknowledge the existing laws and therefore, any participation from previous rebels identified with either extreme left or extreme right would certainly be welcome to us,” Lacierda added.

Clarita Santos, the executive director of the Center for Political and Democratic Reforms and a full-time professor at the University of the Philippines, said there was nothing extraordinary of militant groups joining the electoral process.

“That is how democracy works – we allow all colors to participate, whether red or yellow or other colors. We allow all voices to be heard and we let the electorate decide,” Carlos said.

Government chief negotiator Alexander Padilla, a lawyer, said there was no legal impediment to the congressional bid of Echanis, even as Philippine Army spokesman Maj. Harold Cabunoc said it was better for other insurgents to follow Echanis’ example and join the political exercise instead of fighting the government.

“This might be even better for him…Legally there is nothing that bars him from running,” Padilla said.

“We welcome such endeavor,” Cabunoc. “We respect his aspirations for a political position which is part of the democratic process.

Cabunoc also urged other insurgents to participate in the electoral process and abandon the armed struggle.

In 2008, the military arrested Echanis, who had a P5 million bounty on his head, for his reported involvement in the killing of 67 people during an alleged internal purge within the New People’s Army in Inopacan, Leyte more than two decades ago.

The CPP-NDF invoked the Joint Agreement on Security and Immunity Guarantees to seek his release as a political consultant to the peace process.

Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano said Echanis was never convicted of the “trumped up charges” leveled against him by the administration of then President Gloria Arroyo.

“Those charges are not true. They were part of the political repression of the past administration,” Mariano. He (Echanis) has never advocated violence.

Echanis was eventually released in August 2009 through the Jasig mechanism but the multiple-murder charges against him were not extinguished.

Mariano said his group is still waiting for the Comelec to accredit his group.

“But I am confident we will be accredited again because there is no doubt that we really represent marginalized sectors.”

 http://www.facebook.com/prodem


Joyce Pangco Panares

Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech