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For the past 17 years, The Filipino Express has provided the Filipino American community the best news, arts and entertainment coverage from around the United States and the Philippines.
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Arroyo hints lifting 1017 by weekend
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GLO MUST GO. Members of the Filipino women's rights group Gabriela Network staged a picket in front of the Philippine Consulate General in Manhattan on Monday, February 27, to express their opposition to President Gloria Arroyo's declaration of a state of emergency in the Philippines.
Earlier on Monday, February 24, another Filipino American group held a rally in front of the Consulate to protest the declaration.
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MANILA --- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has declared a state of emergency on Friday, February 24 to quell a military uprising that sought to overthrow her administration.
Arroyo’s declaration is contained in Proclamation 1017, which she signed after a lengthy meeting with Cabinet members and police and military officials in Malacañang, Press Secertary Ignacio Bunye said. On Tuesday, February 28, Arroyo said she is willing to lift her national emergency declaration if she is satisfied that the threats to the government have been placed under control.
She gave the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) 24 to 72 hours to submit reports on the security situation.
On March 2, the three officials who make up the security cluster in the Cabinet are prepared to recommend the lifting of emergency rule to the President.
Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez and Philippine National Police Director General Arturo Lomibao said at a news conference in Malacañang that the threats to national security had “subsided,” “receded” and “leveled off” since the President declared a state of national emergency on Feb. 24 purportedly to head off a coup.
But they also said that even with the lifting of Presidential Proclamation No. 1017 declaring a state of national emergency, the authorities would continue to arrest those implicated in the supposed plot.
In the declaration released to media at 11:20 a.m., Arroyo invoked Section 18, Article 7 of the Constitution that allowed the President to call on the Armed Forces to prevent or suppress rebellion.
She said that over the past months, “elements in the political opposition had conspired with authoritarians of the extreme Left represented by the [National Democratic Front-Communist Party of the Philippines-New Peopleís Army] and the extreme Right, represented by military adventurists -- the historic enemies of the democratic Philippine State -- who are now in a tactical alliance and engaged in a concerted and systematic conspiracy, over a broad front, to bring down the duly constituted government elected in May 2004.”
She also noted that “the claims of these elements have been recklessly magnified by certain segments of the national media.”
She said these series of actions were hurting the country “by obstructing governance, including hindering the growth of the economy and sabotaging the peopleís confidence in government.”
After Mrs. Arroyo invoked emergency rule on Friday, police raided a pro-opposition newspaper, The Daily Tribune, early on Saturday, gathering documents, confiscating copies from the printing press and padlocking the office.
Police also went to the offices of the Abante tabloid but Elvira Altez, a member of its board, said the officers left after seeing crews from two television stations.
On Friday, the military detained the commander of an elite regiment as the leader of troops who were allegedly planning to incite crowds at anti-Arroyo rallies.
Police later broke up two protests of about 5,000 people each, one by using fire hoses and batons.
All rally permits were revoked and events cancelled for the 20th anniversary of “people power”, which had looked set to be low key in the divided nation even before the emergency decree.
Dozens of Marines briefly defied the state of emergency on Sunday, calling for public support after the elite force’s commander was removed for links with the plan to topple Arroyo.
But they returned to their barracks peacefully after staging a show of support for their sacked chief -- in full battle gear and with armored personnel carriers -- at their base in Manila.
A former police chief and leftist congressman were also detained for questioning over the weekend and government officials said more arrests were expected in coming days.
Four other congressmen, all party-list congressmen, were also ordered arrested but were allowed by the police to be placed under protective custody of House Speaker Jose de Venecia.
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By Merpu Roa and Rita Villadiego
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New York City, NEW YORK --- President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s declaration was quickly greeted with protests by several Filipino American groups in New York and New Jersey.
On Friday, February 24, on the same day President Arroyo placed the country under a state of emergency, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) -USA staged a rally in front of the Philippine Consulate General on Fifth Avenue, Manhattan to condemn what they called as “curtailment of civil liberties and democratic rights” in the Philippines.
On Monday, February 27, the Consulate General office played host anew to another condemnation rally, this time led by the women’s rights group Gabriela Network (GabNet).
Bayan-USA, which has spearheaded a coalition to oppose the state of emergency in the Philippines, vowed to stage a weekly picket until Arroyo resigns or is booted out of Malacanang.
“We will hold a picket once a week outside of the Philippine Consulate for as long as it takes until Arroyo is ousted,” said Berna Ellorin of Bayan USA.
Among those who joined the protest rally on Friday was the Movement for Free Philippines (MFP), an organization established by the late Senator Raul Manglapus in the 1970s to oppose the Marcos dictatorship.
“We are definitely taking part in whatever action the coalition may decide,” said Dr. Orlando Acopiado, one of few surviving original officers of the MFP.
For its part, Gabriela members and supporters called for the lifting of the state of emergency and the release of Gabriela party-list congresswoman Liza Masa from the “protective custody”.
“This is nothing but a shadow-play to wreck democracy in the country,” said Dorothea Mendoza, secretary-general of Gabriela.
“They want to silence the voice of the people. We condemn this pathetic and imitative ploy of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to establish themselves as the new Philippine dictatorship,” said Rebecca Libed, coordinator of Gabriela Network in New York.
There were also non-Filipino organizations who joined the rally against the declaration of the state of emergency.
”We stand in solidarity with the Filipino people who are taking to the streets in the spirit of EDSA I & II to call for the immediate ouster of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. We denounce Arroyo’s fraudulent presidency, and call for the establishment of the democratic and pro-people transition council,” said Dan Wilson of Justice not War in the Philippines campaign.
“We are protesting the state of emergency . It’s a violation of people’s freedom. Working people in the Philippines must have power. We are joining this rally because we want U.S. troops out of Iraq and the Philippines,” said Jan Nordan, of League for Fourth International, a U.S.-based organization.
Amanda Vender of the Network of International Solidarity with the Peoples of the Philippines (NISPOP) said the proclamation, ostensibly to crush a power grab, has instead “unleashed military force on progressive activists and has abused Filipinos’ human rights to a degree rivaling the dictatorship.”
The anti-state of emergency coalition is led by organizations such as Babae, Anakbayan, League of Filipino Students, NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, Critical Filipino/Filipina Studies Collective and Habi Arts.
Similar rallies and pickets were held last week in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle.
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Norwalk, CONNECTICUT --- A complaint about a Filipino chauffeur in Norwalk has become an international incident.
A letter of protest has been filed by the New York-based Philippine Consul General with the U.S. State Department over an incident at a Norwalk catering hall.
The manager of Chatham Manor is at the center of the controversy because she had called police, claiming she saw the chauffeur for the ambassador smoking drugs in her parking lot.
Police arrived and found the chauffeur was simply smoking cigarettes while waiting for his boss who was attending a dinner sponsored by the Filipino-American national organization.
Philippine Consul General Cecilia Rebong was the guest of honor at the banquet and arrived with her husband in the embassy’s black Mercedes with their regular driver, Lazaro DeLuna.
The catering hall manager, Lisa Guarente, says she saw the man in the car and some sort of transaction between the driver and a tuxedoed man. It turned out the tuxedoed man was the consul general’s husband bumming a smoke.
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Cheryl Burke and Drew Lachey racked up a total score of 27 out of 30.
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Los Angeles, CALIFORNIA --- Filipina professional dancer Cheryl Burke and former 98 Degrees member Drew Lachey won the second season of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” on Sunday evening, February 26,, defeating NFL legend Jerry Rice and partner Anna Trebunskaya in the live finale of the popular reality ballroom dancing competition.
”I still cannot believe it. I’m still in shock!,” Burke said.
Burke amd Lachey, the 29-year-old brother of soon-to-be Jessica Simpson ex-husband Nick Lachey, had entered Sunday’s finale atop the judges’ leaderboard based on his performance in the two Thursday night dances in which the home viewers finale voting and two-thirds of the judging panel’s finale scoring was based.
Burke proved to be the best dance partner any celebrity could have. Their hyper-energetic Jive routine clearly brought the house down, especially the ‘over the head jump’ move that ended their spectacular number.
Cheryl’s mother, Sherri Bautista Burke, a registered nurse who migrated to the US in 1977, is also a ballroom dancing aficionado for years.
Cheryl recounts how she got bitten by the ‘dance-bug’ by going with her parents to a lot of Filipino parties.
“My Dad and Mom used to take me to Filipino parties where I learned that a party is not fun without dancing,” “Filipinos are natural dancers. The minute they hear music, they get up and show off their natural rhythm.”
The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that Lachey went up to Cheryl’s mom, Sherri Bautista Burke, in the audience, and said, “Thank you for everything!” The older Burke later explained: “He meant thanks... to all Filipinos who voted for them.”
The winning couple went straight to a Hollywood party held in their honor. Monday at 4 a.m. (Tuesday evening in Manila).
They were interviewed via satellite on the New York-based “Good Morning America.”
They then flew to New York and appeared on top-rated shows of Jay Leno, Oprah Winfrey and Tony Danza.
Cheryl said, she will visit the Philippines. “She received offers to do some endorsements,” her mom said.
Her mom was at the finals with her husband Dr. Robert Wolf, their daughter Nicole and Cheryl’s choreographer-friend Wendy Johnson.
Sherri, a nurse who runs three health-care related businesses, said her co-nurses told her, “Drew is lucky because he had Cheryl as choreographer. A lot of Filipinos in America voted for them.”
“So,” Sherri noted, “[it was] also a victory for the three million Filipinos in the US!”
Hearing they had won over NFL great Jerry Rice and Stacy Keibler, Lachey gave out a loud “Whoooooooa!” and Cheryl started jumping up and down.
For their finale number, the couple did a jive number to the music of Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog.” Judges found their finale number “the most exciting.”
Fifty percent of the votes came from viewers, via phone and online polls.
Some of the celebrities earlier eliminated were Fil-Am actress Tia Carrere and actor George Hamilton. The others who were present for a last dance on Sunday were ESPN sportscaster Kenny Mayne, actress Tatum O’Neal, news personality Giselle Fernandez, rap star Master P and talk show host Lisa Rinna.
“Dancing with the Stars” ranked 7th in prime time ratings in a recent Nielsen Media Research.
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