Pinoys in Utrecht hold 'People's SONA'

Pinoys in Utrecht hold 'People's SONA'

By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

A group of Filipinos in The Netherlands held a demonstration in front of the city hall of Utrecht to criticize Philippine President Gloria Arroyo's and her State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Quezon City on Monday.

Led by Luis Jalandoni, chairman of the National Democratic Front, the demonstrators chanted, “Gloria Arroyo, pekeng pangulo, pekeng pangulo, Gloria Arroyo” (Gloria Arroyo, fake president) to the surprised of passersby at Ouden Gracht (Old Canal) in the heart of the city’s shopping area.

“Nakita mo naman. Ngayon nakita ko 'yung video. Sa mga video clips binu-boo, nilalait ang gobyerno ni [President] Macapagal-Arroyo dahil nakikita naman ng tao na wala itong nagagawang kabutihan para sa ating mga mamamayang Pilipino (I saw the video. In the video clips, Arroyo was being booed, her government is being berated because the people see it's not doing anything for the welfare of the people)," said Migrante International's Grace Punongbayan.

She added that based on the video, the people are fed up with the Arroyo presidency because it is a fake one.

The demonstration, which the rallyists called "The People's SONA" was a strong expression of their disgust with Arroyo administration and the cases of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, the implementation of the anti-terror law and the hunger experienced by the majority of Filipinos.

“Gusto kong mapakita na hindi ko tanggap ang SONA ng pekeng presidente. Hindi niya tinutulungan ang mamamayang Pilipino. (On this day of the SONA, I would like to show that I don’t accept the fake president’s SONA. She’s not helping the Filipino people)," said Connie Ledesma, spokeswoman of the Malayang Kilusan ng Kababaihan.

Jalandoni, Ledesma and the others who gathered said they braved the bad weather to show Europeans that the situation in the Philippines has not improved and that Mrs. Arroyo's speech is just a way of masking the flaws of the government.

SOURCE: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/

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