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March 10, 2007
The Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey of party-list groups conducted
on February 24-27, 2007 showed that BABAE KA will gather 1.5% of the total votes (2% is needed to win a seat in
congress) in the party-list system.
Let's help BABAE KA win!
Let's campaign and vote for BABAE KA!
THE 1987 CONSTITUTION
OF THE
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
|
ARTICLE III
BILL OF RIGHTS |
Section 8.
The right of the people, including those employed in the public and private sectors, to form unions, associations, or societies
for purposes not contrary to law shall not be abridged.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRESS RELEASE
APRIL 21, 2007
“Another propaganda scheme of another leftist organization”
BABAE KA CATEGORICALLY DENIES GABRIELA’S ACCUSATION
WOMEN party-list Babae para sa Kaunlaran
(BABAE KA) today categorically denied that it is a stooge of Malacaņang even as it challenged Gabriela party-list to file
a formal complaint.
Sally Dagami, BABAE KA chairperson,
said that, “For the nth time, we want the Filipino people to know that BABAE KA party-list is not a Malacaņang-backed
organization. BABAE KA has not received a single centavo from the government.”
“Just like Akbayan’s,
the accusation of Gabriela is another cheap-shot by another leftist organization that is aimed to generate media projection
at our expense. The document that this so-called cause-oriented have shown publicly is a fabrication. BABAE KA knows nothing
about this,” Dagami added.
Dagami stressed that she has never
met an Assistant Secretary Marcelo Fariņas of the Office of External Affairs.
“I do not know Mr. Fariņas.
In fact, this is the first time I heard of his name,” Dagami stated.
Ruth Vasquez, BABAE KA president,
said that, “Mukhang isa na namang kuryente ito, to borrow media’s parlance. Kinukuryente ng Gabriela ang media
sa inanunsyo nila.”
“The document shown by Gabriela
could be written by anybody. It could be a product of the dirty-tricks department of extremist organizations. Wala kaming
alam sa mga pinagsasabi nila,” Vasquez explained.
Dagami challenged Gabriela to file
formal complaints against BABAE KA “so that we could also file formal charges against the leaders of this group.”###
PRESS RELEASE
19 APRIL 2007
Babae Ka to push for equal employment opportunity law
If you
are a woman or a man and looking for a job, you will always see in the advertisements, “female, 20 to 35 years old”
or “male, 25 to 40 years old” as one of the qualifications. Not anymore, that is if the proposal of women’s
party-list Babae para sa Kaunlaran (Babae Ka) will be enacted by the 15th Congress of the Philippines.
Babae
Ka chairperson Sally Dagami today announced that the group would prioritize the passage of the “equal employment opportunity
law” which will ban discrimination by age, gender and religion in the process of employment.
“Discrimination
in employment is illegal and immoral. It has been practiced in this country and the Department of Labor and Employment has
done nothing about it. It is about time that this discrimination especially against women who are pregnant and all citizens
who are above 35 years old be considered an offense punishable with imprisonment,” Dagami explained.
Ruth Vasquez,
president of Babae Ka, stated that the group is finalizing research work on the preparation of a bill on equal employment
opportunity.
“Given
the chance we make it to Congress, this will be the very first proposed law that Babae Ka will file. The ‘Equal Employment
Opportunity Act of 2007’ which will be patterned before the ‘Age Discrimination Act of 1967’ that was enacted
by the Congress of the United States,” Vasquez said.
The proposal,
Vasquez noted, will make it unlawful for any employer to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual or otherwise discriminate against any
individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual's
age, gender and religion.
“In this proposed bill of Babae Ka, even the printing of any employment
advertisement that will tend to be discriminatory to age, sex and religion shall be unlawful,” Vasquez added.
###
PRESS RELEASE
17 APRIL 2007
“Loopholes
in party-list law”
Babae Ka blames
Akbayan’s inaction
Women’s
party-list group Babae para sa Kaunlaran (BABAE KA) today lambasted the Citizen’s Action Party (Akbayan) for its failure
to push for “pro-people and pro-poor” amendments to the party-list system law.
Sally
Dagami, Babae Ka chairperson said that, “This self-proclaimed cause-oriented group did not even bother to introduce
a bill amending the party-list law because it is benefiting from the loopholes in the law.”
Babae
Ka also chided Akbayan for failing to author a legislation that would oblige party-list groups to reveal their nominees publicly.
“Anim
na taon na sila sa Kongreso. Nitong nakaraang tatlong taon ay tatlo pa ang kanilang kinatawan pero kahit isang batas ay walang
naipasa ang grupong ito. Ngayon sila daldal ng daldal samantalang noong may sesyon ang Kongreso ay hindi sila nagpasa ng batas
na magtatakda sa paglabas ng pangalan ng mga nominado,” Dagami said.
“Sa
loob ng tatlong taon, yung isang kinatawan nila ay pitong panukalang batas lang ang nagawa. Yung isa naman ay labing-tatlo,
at yung isa dalawampu’t siyam nga pero puro kinopya lang naman sa mga panukala ng ibang mambabatas,” Dagami added.
The Commission on Elections last week said that the party-list system is “vague and flawed” and
it should be amended.
Commissioner Rene Sarmiento lamented that the poll body is “taking all the punches” in its decision
not to make public the list of nominees when it is simply enforcing the law.
“The law is flawed. It should be re-examined because it is vague. I believe Congress should pass a new
law or amend the existing one to spell out the nuances of the party-list law,” Sarmiento said.
“Under
the law, an aspiring party-list group only needs to meet the requirements set forth in it to get accredited. However, some
groups like Akbayan has dubious intentions. They obviously want to take advantage of the loopholes in the law to gain media
mileage. But the question is whose fault was it? It’s really theirs,” Dagami said.#
PRESS RELEASE
16 APRIL 2007
“Kontra Daya is not a genuine
election watchdog”
Babae Ka dares Guingona, Dizon to reveal affiliations of other partylist groups
Women partylist group Babae para sa Kaunlaran (Babae Ka) today dared the Citizens Against Fraudulent
Elections or Kontra-Daya to bare affiliations of other party-list groups even as it reiterated that it is not a Malacanang-backed
organization.
“Babae Ka challenges former vice president Teofisto Guingona and Father Joe Dizon of Kontra
Daya to be fair to all concerned and reveal the ideological connections of alleged leftist and rightist party-list organizations,
as well as those identified with the opposition,” Sally Dagami, Babae Ka chairperson.
“These leftist and rightist organizations and those in the opposition are themselves capable
of committing fraud through terrorism. Further, they also could destabilize the government through various forms of actions,”
Dagami added.
Dagami lamented that Kontra Daya is biased against organizations not identified with the opposition.
“New party-list organizations not within their influence are immediately labeled as pro-administration
and bogus while those in the opposition are hailed as genuine and pro-people, and that is unfair. They are not the only ones
capable of serving the people. In fact, they have failed to serve the best welfare of the people,” Dagami said.
Babae Ka, Dagami explained, will not be influenced by Malacaņang and the opposition, as well as
by leftist and rightist groups.
Ruth Vasquez, Babae Ka president, alleged that Kontra Daya is not a genuine election watchdog but
an adjunct of the opposition.
“This self-proclaimed
coalition against electoral fraud is an alliance of the opposition and leftist organizations. It is not a genuine electoral
watchdog as it is not capable of conducting nationwide grassroots level activities. It is a mere propaganda front with some
second-rated personalities of the legal left and the opposition,” Vasquez said.#
In the news...
http://www.mindanaoexaminer.com/news.php?news_id=20070408025222
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/FREEMAN200704101806.htm
“For leaking names of party-list nominees”
Babae Ka to petition for Akbayan’s disqualification
Partylist group Babae para sa Kaunlaran (Babae Ka) today announced its plan to urge the Commission on Elections (Comelec)
to disqualify Akbayan Citizen’s Action Party (Akbayan) for “leaking the names of the nominees of different party-list
organizations in violation of Comelec rules and regulations.”
Sally Dagami, BABAE KA chairperson, said that, “The evidences against Akbayan are all documented by the various
television and radio stations, and the print media. Nobody in his or her right mind will deny all these.”
Last week, the Comelec threatened with disqualification party-list groups who would reveal the names of nominees in
the May 14, 2007 party-list system of elections.
Comelec Commissioner Resurreccion Borra warned
that a sectoral party organization will be disqualified “after proper proceedings and due process and the merit of the
case” if it leaks the names of nominees.
Borra claimed that the identities of party-list
nominees should not be revealed or published “so as not to confuse the voters.” He added that under the law, even
the poll body is not allowed to reveal the names of the nominees since they represent the party-list and not the candidates.
“Akbayan maliciously revealed the names
of nominees of other party-list groups to grandstand and serve its selfish motive of gaining media mileage at the expense
of legitimate party-list organizations,” explained Ruth Vasquez, president of BABAE KA.
BABAE KA, according to Vasquez, will file a
formal request to disqualify Akbayan. The group will also encourage other party-list groups to petition for the Akbayan’s
exclusion in the party-list system of election.
“Based on the official statement of the Comelec, Akbayan has clearly violated the party-list system law and trampled
upon the rights of legitimate party-list organizations. Thus, we call on all party-list groups to unite for the purpose of
disqualifying Akbayan, the violator of our democratic rights,” Vasquez said. ###
PRESS RELEASE
APRIL 2, 2007
“Rep. Rosales lied on national television”
BABAE KA ACCUSES AKBAYAN
OF SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION
Partylist
group Babae para sa Kaunlaran (BABAE KA) today accused Akbayan of using its position to discriminate against Filipino women
even as it challenged Rep. Loreta Ann Rosales to issue a public apology for spreading lies and disinformation about the organization.
"Filipino
women have the Constitutional right to self-organization and to campaign for legitimate issues and concerns. To question these
rights is to discriminate against women. Akbayan's tirade against BABAE KA is violative of the Philippine Constitution and
numerous laws of the land protecting women's rights," said Ruth Vasquez, president of BABAE KA.
“In a desperate attempt to save face, Rep. Rosales even lied last week on
national television when she blabbered having met BABAE KA Chairperson Sally Dagami who allegedly admitted to being employed
with Malacaņang’s Office of External Affairs. Rosales also lied when she said that BABAE KA admitted being assisted
by Malacaņang. These are farthest from the truth and are mere black propaganda aimed to gather media mileage to boost Akbayan’s
faltering image.” Vasquez said.
“All
the 5 nominees of BABAE KA are not government employees,” Vasquez added.
BABAE KA officers also revealed that Akbayan is a party-list coalition with members
among civil servants including professors of the University of the Philippines and union leaders in several government agencies.
“Unlike Akbayan, BABAE KA will never question the Constitutional rights
of any public servant. We will remain true to our principles and we will always respect the rights of our fellow Filipinos,”
Vasquez pointed-out.
“We were accused, tried and convicted before the bar of public opinion with
Etta Rosales and her Akbayan hatchet-men acting as the accuser, judge and jury. But the truth will surely surface and Akbayan
will be unmasked for this unjust and anti-women witch-hunt. For these lies and disinformation, we demand that Akbayan issue
a written and verbal public apology,” Vasquez said.###
~~~~~~~~~~
ABS-CBN
BANDILA
Biyernes, Marso 30, 2007
REP. ROSALES PINAPAG-PUBLIC APOLOGY NG MGA INAKUSAHANG PARTY-LISTS
Itinatanggi ng ilang party-list group na nasa listahan
ni Akbayan Rep. Loretta Anne Rosales na sila'y pakawala ng Malacaņang.
Ayon
sa report, hinamon pa ng Babae Ka party-list group si Rosales na humingi sa kanila ng tawad.
“Nananawagan kami sa inyo na
humingi kayo ng public apology sa amin. Sapagkat walang katotohanan ang ibinibintang niyo sa amin,” pahayag ni Maria
Corazon Tumang, pangalawang pangulo ng Babae Ka.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Babae Ka holds press
con, pickets Akbayan office
AN INDIGNATION! That was the main theme of the press conference of Babae para sa Kaunlaran (BABAE KA) at the Bacolod Chicken Inasal inside the Quezon Memorial Circle on Friday, 23rd of March 2007.
Attended
by more than 100 leaders and members of BABAE KA, the press conference presented
the organization’s position against Akbayan’s accusation.
“BABAE
KA is not a Malacaņang stooge. It has not received even a centavo of assistance from
government,” declared the leaders of the organization.
Before
and after the press conference, officers and members of BABAE KA also picketed
the office of Akbayan at 101 Matalino St., Teacher’s Village West, Diliman, Quezon City.
“BABAE
KA is a legitimate organization advocating the democratic rights and welfare of Filipino
women and the people, in general. By questioning the existence of BABAE KA,
this pseudo militant organization called Akbayan is trampling on our Constitutional right to self-organization,” BABAE
KA leaders said.
“BABAE
KA shall not be cowed by the usual bullying tactics of Etta Rosales and her Akbayan.
We know the leaders of this organization, their backgrounds and their ideologies. We know who they really are.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRESS STATEMENT
MARCH 21, 2007
BABAE KA CONDEMNS AKBAYAN
“Accusation is a cheap shot for
media mileage at our expense”
The Babae para sa Kaunlaran or BABAE KA condemns in the strongest words possible the unfounded accusation
of Akbayan. This is a cheap shot aimed at gathering media mileage at our expense and that of other legitimate party-list
organizations.
BABAE KA is not a government-controlled party-list organization. BABAE
KA is a legitimate organization existing since 2005 and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) before
being accredited by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). It submitted all the requirements and went through the legal process.
It has organizational presence in majority of the regions and provinces of the country.
As an organization, BABAE KA never received even a centavo of assistance from the Philippine government. It
will support programs of government that it deems as pro-people. However, BABAE KA will be critical of programs that
shall negatively affect Filipino women and the people, in general.
Unlike its accuser, BABAE KA
has no political agenda or ideology except to advance the rights and welfare of women and the Filipinos, as a whole. BABAE
KA views itself as a centrist organization and not a leftist or rightist coalition.
BABAE KA does
not have multimillion pesos in campaign funds like AKBAYAN but it has the logistics garnered from its officers and members
and the organizational network around the country that will guarantee a decent and possibly victorious campaign.
BABAE KA urges
AKBAYAN leaders to be true to their written program and to stop engaging in gutter politics and mudslinging, as well as to
fulfill its 2004 election promises to those who campaigned and voted for them.
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| Please click the above picture to view the Manila Standard photo-article |
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