Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo: People Power Perverted

There are thousands of atrocities occurring in the Philippines that are overlooked by the international community and particularly the US because the president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA), is one of George W's strongest allies in the War on Terror. In fact, the close parallels of GMA and GWB are shocking: GMA hold a continuous war in the southern Philippines islands against Al-Qaeda-tied Muslim militant groups, and because so she, like Bush in the US, has ridiculously low approval ratings. Not only is there overwhelming evidence that she rigged the 2004 election to win by over a MILLION votes, but a poll by a major Philippine news network (GMA News) found the Philippine people to consider GMA the most corrupt president in their nation's entire history. The two presidents who preceded her, Joseph Estrada and the dictator Fidel Marcos, required "People Power" movements that the Philippines are so renowned for. But where's the People Power now? GMA's regime endorses public extrajudicial kidnappings, torture, displacement, and so many other atrocities highlighted in this film. While numerous coup de tats have been attempted, she has fanatical loyalty of most of the military, primarily because she's got them all the corrupt payroll. The world needs to see these images and understand that although these killings aren't on the genocidal level of Sudan or the Congo, the reasons these atrocities are going to overlooked are because GMA brown noses the American government.

Detailed description below:

In the Philippines, in 2007 alone there were over 16,000 human rights violations under Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's regime, including torture, displacement, extra-judicial killings, and enforced disappearances of hundreds of men and women from among political activists, peasants, workers, journalists, church people, lawyers and other civilians from various sectors of Philippine society.

According to a GMA News (not named after her) poll, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is rated by Filipino citizens to be the most corrupt president in the history of the Philippines, more so than Joseph Estrada, the president she succeeded, and even more than dictator and martial law holder Fidel Ramos. Both Estrada and Ramos required "People Power" revolutions to oust them from power, and they had lower corruption ratings than GMA. Where's the People Power now?

This video compilation was produced in order to show the terrible events occurring in the Philippines to the world. These events are not covered by CNN or other American news networks because GMA is one of George W. Bush's strongest allies in the War on Terror. Their unique relationship and parallels are displayed in the video. While the killings and kidnappings in the Philippines are not at dangerously genocidal levels such as Sudan or the Congo or Kenya or Burma, they are arguably the most invisible atrocities to the world, America, and especially the Filipino American population in the United States, who as the second largest Asian American population in the country are similarly just as invisible.

This video also shows the importance of the Writ of Amparo, an act similar to the Freedom of Information Act that allows Filipino citizens to discover the whereabouts of their deceased family and friends and disallow the military denial of plausibility. Please be sure to check out the websites at the end of the film, as they can provide you with more information about the Writ of Amparo and the extrajudicial violations going on in the Philippines today.

PRIVILEGE IS NOT AN EXCUSE FOR IGNORANCE AND INACTION. EDUCATION = EMPOWERMENT.

Originally showed 01/31/08 at the "BitterSweets: Hope. Activism. Chocolate." event at the University of Michigan. Created/Compiled by Kenneth Valdevieso Uy, Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies minor at the University of Michigan.