Yesterday was the first time I went into a rally against the government.
Days ago, the House of Representatives was surprisingly fully attended. What was usually a two-hour checking of attendance lasted only for an hour. It seems that they are rushing to pass the CARPER bill, but then, most of us were shocked, for we were wrong. It was the Constitutional Assembly that they have passed. It caused an uproar; different sectors objected because it is obvious that it is just a way for the president to prolong her stay in power. A possible scenario is that she will run as a representative of Pampanga and then run as Prime Minister.
It is not that we don't want a change in the constitution; we just don't want it before 2010. Also, we want it to start from the people through People's initiative, not ConAss or ConCon (Constitutional Convention). So that's why we, students from the University of the Philippines together with students from Ateneo de Manila University, Miriam College, Our Lady of the Pentecost Parish, PAKISAMA, and a lot more from the youth, agrarian, middle and low class sectors joined this rally.
It has concerts as part of the program. So, it wasn't the usual violent rallies that we usually see in the television. There are no police officers who will push you out by water cannon or teargas, instead they are only ushering us not to be too close to the streets. By the way, it was so fun, telling the motorists along Katipunan Avenue to blow their horns as a sign of support with our cause.
After that, we were so tired; but we headed straight to Sta. Maria della Strada parish to visit the remains of ka Rene Penas, a farmer fighting for the rights of the Sumilao farmers. He is one of those farmers from Sumilao who walked a thousand miles to plead to the President to give back their lands that were grabbed by corporations. He was assassinated recently.
Anyway, to relax ourselves, we ate a nearby Chinese fast food. What a day.
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