I WRITE in response to Rigoberto Tiglao’s article titled “Unmasked: Akbayan is Aquino’s ‘dilawan’” (Inquirer, 11/1/12). In his attempt to bring back to life the issue of Akbayan’s 2010 campaign contributions, Tiglao revealed something else: He exposed the political forces behind the attempt to disqualify Akbayan from the party-list race: Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her reunited allies from the extreme Left, Bayan Muna.
Akbayan after all had given a simple and sufficient explanation for its campaign contributions with a submission to the Commission on Elections in June 2012; and the contributions have been accounted for by the appropriate authorities. Being a public document, Akbayan’s submission to the Comelec is available to the public, including media. In fact, Akbayan should be lauded for its full disclosure of the contributions it received, which is consistent to the principles of transparency and accountability. But Tiglao, Arroyo’s chief apologist, will have none of that.
Arroyo and Bayan Muna’s political alliance isn’t new. In 2001, Bayan Muna was the chief party-list group of the Arroyo-led People Power Coalition. At the time, their political interests found a common ground: getting rid of a common enemy, Akbayan.
As Tiglao pointed out, Akbayan was among the lead groups that demanded that Arroyo, former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez and former Chief Justice Renato Corona be made accountable. In fact, the main cause of Arroyo’s headache today stems from a PCSO plunder charge of which Akbayan is one of the complainants. More so, Tiglao’s ouster as Greece ambassador was largely due to the collective effort of OFWs and Akbayan. Thus, if Akbayan is delisted from the party-list race, expect Tiglao and Arroyo to rejoice.
Bayan Muna, on the other hand, has a different score to settle with Akbayan. Bayan Muna entered the party-list race in 2001, three years after Akbayan successfully entered Congress as a pioneer party-list organization in 1998. At the time, Bayan Muna and its affiliates clung doggedly to their “boycott elections” policy. But after Akbayan’s success in entering Congress and mainstreaming progressive politics, Bayan Muna decided to join the 2001 elections as a staunch Arroyo ally, hoping to end the momentum of Akbayan, the biggest stumbling block to the extreme Left’s brand of politics. Akbayan’s championing of democratic and peaceful change in Philippine politics meant fewer people gravitating to the violent, archaic politics of the extreme Left.
We thank Tiglao for exposing the Arroyo-Bayan Muna political reunion. The ridiculousness of Bayan Muna’s call for Akbayan’s disqualification has become very clear. The public now understands the real reason behind the extreme Left’s drive to “clean the party-list system of fake party-list groups.”
—ROSAL PALMA, president, Malayang Tinig ng mga Kababaihan, 53 Victory St. Brgy. Tatalon, Quezon City