RALLY AGAINST BAGUIO'S GARBAGE CRISIS, DISPERSED!
On December 7, 2009, KPD Baguio together with the Concerned Citizens for a Clean Baguio (a broad alliance concerned about the garbage crisis in the city and pursuing environmental consciousness) conducted a peaceful rally to pressure the city government to decisively address the pestering garbage issue. We believe this is not just a petty concern. It is already bringing down our tourism industry, and consequently, radically reducing our income. It is causing disgrace to the city and to its residents. The group picketed the City Hall to demand for a dialogue with the City Council and the Mayor. Instead of responsibly addressing the issue, the group was met by an anti-riot squad, almost as big as the number of the rallyists. Despite the harassment, the group stood their grounds, hoping that the concerned city officials would finally come down and talk with them. This did not happen. They were dispersed. This was uncalled for. The city government is in its height of irresponsibility and insensitivity! We could not help by speculate on the reasons behind its inability, or rather, UNWILLINGNESS to decisively resolve the issue. Why continue the very temporary scheme of hauling our garbage to Tarlac that is causing us around Php 500,000.00 daily when there are already so many sound proposals like putting up an ENGINEERED SANITARY LANDFILL which is less costly and offers a long term solution. What is it, or HOW MUCH IS IT, that our conscientious officials are getting out of this? The Concerned Citizens for a Clean Baguio together with the Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya condemn the uncalled for dispersal. We believe it is a cowardly and irresponsible act. The concerned officials evade the issue instead of confronting the garbage crisis head on. We vow to continue conducting collective actions until the garbage crisis is resolved. We demand the city government to implement RA 9003 which requires all local government units to put up its own engineered sanitary landfill. The privatization of the garbage collection, that the Honorable Mayor is proposing is not a solution. Garbage collection and management are part of the basic social services and responsibilities of local governance. It should not be passed on to private entities. Attached is our position paper on the garbage crisis. We are enjoining every concerned Baguio resident to sign this petition. Let us join hands in working for a clean and livable Baguio! Let us not allow concerned officials in draining the city's resources! Let us challenge all incumbent officials who are again running for office in the 2010 elections to prove themselves worthy of our votes by addressing the garbage crisis NOW! CONCERNED CITIZENS FOR A CLEAN BAGUIO December 10, 2009
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Concerned Citizens for a Clean Baguio
_____________________________________________________________________________________ November 19, 2009 Dear Friends, Warm greetings of Peace and Unity! The issue of uncollected garbage has made Baguio so unpopular. This had resulted to a negative impact on Baguio’s tourism industry, and in turn, negatively affected our livelihood and the local economy. Other than this are the health issues and its environmental hazards. This becomes more irritating and disgusting knowing that there are already sound and workable proposals to decisively address the issue. But the local officials concerned won’t act on this. Why? We could not help to speculate. What is it they get out of the current arrangements of hauling and bringing our garbage to Tarlac than just allotting fund for our own engineered sanitary landfill or ESL? Just this next batch of hauling, the local government is again allotting P 24M just for one hauling! Imagine how many hundreds of millions this government had already spent in an unwise move of addressing this issue! Directly or indirectly, every resident of Baguio contributes to the local treasury through our taxes. We deserve to get what is due us including the proper garbage disposal which has been pestering all of us for so long already. It is in this light that we are inviting you, your friends, families, network and everyone you know to join our collective action on December 7, 2009 to pressure the local government to act on the garbage issue. Assembly place is at PNR Caltex, 1:00pm. Let this issue be one of our parameters in electing officials in 2010. Let the incumbent officials prove their worth and credibility by decisively resolving this issue. Let us pressure our public servants to wisely spend our taxes and not waste it on the trucking and hauling or our garbage to Tarlac, which does not resolve the problem anyway. Let us assert our right to a clean and livable environment! Recover the tourism industry and our source of livelihood! Resolve the garbage issue! Rebuild the local economy! Recover the prestige of Baguio! For a clean Baguio, Baguio Market Federation (BAMAPFE), Join Baguio Movement (JBM), ServeNet, Network Against Global Warming (NAGWAR), Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya (KPD), Pangasinan Association of Baguio City (OLUPAN), Cordillera Knights of Baguio, Binnadang Urban Poor Association, Baguio Civil Society Group, Blessed Association of Retired People (BARP) Please wear red shirt as a sign of protest! WEdecide2010
We educate for a democratic clean and independent elections for 2010 Email: [email protected] Mobile Numbers: 09182086666 09279592088 Concept 2010 Elections The Philippines is again agog with 2010 elections. The electoral landscape is littered, mostly, with traditional politicians, a.k.a. trapos, all claiming to have grassroots beginnings and promising to be good public servants. Once again, urban poor communities, grassroots formations, people’s organizations and other vote-rich sections are sought after, not to give them relief from drudgery, but to clinch their votes. Trapos’ promises do not have much effect on the electorate. They have been used to it. Some of them still cling to a glimmer of hope they see from charismatic and some promising candidates. Some just consider elections a circus, a break from the otherwise monotonous life of struggle for survival. In the end, most of the constituents believe that they only have themselves to depend on. This culture of apathy and indifference cannot be blamed on the electorate. This is the result of years of hopeless electoral exercises they have witnessed. It is this context that WEdecide 2010 confronts. It hopes to contribute in translating the apathy and indifference of the electorate into positive actions and maximize 2010 elections to the people’s advantage. Objectives The general objective is to bring the real issues of the people at the forefront of the electoral exercises, make them critical about 2010 elections – its nature and dynamics, educate the voters as the principal stakeholders in this exercise, and organize them around these concerns. In particular, the campaign hopes to: 1. Collectively study the issues of the people and the local electorate. 2. Formulate and put forward demands that would provide tactical relief for the people. 3. Challenge the candidates to take on the people’s issues. 4. Make the people’s agenda the electoral platform and the parameter in selecting candidates. 5. Call on the candidates to translate their slogans and promises into concrete and realistic platform for the people’s welfare. 6. Educate the local electorate about the nature, character and dynamics revolving around the 2010 elections to help them vote intelligently. 7. Organize groups, clusters, organizations and build an active network of intelligent electorate. 8. Clinch “Covenant” or “Pledge of Commitment” between the electorate / specific sections of voters and the candidates that would adhere to the people’s agenda. 9. Defend whatever benefits the people already had and expose candidates who, wittingly or unwittingly, are planning to take these away from them. 10. Create an active, intelligent and vigilant electorate and make their presence felt through different people’s forums and discussion groups in the local levels. 11. Popularize the people’s issues and agenda by maximizing tri-media. 12. Disseminate to the widest number the people’s issues and demands through popular propaganda materials, leaflets and the like. 13. Engage the indifferent, apathetic and skeptical sections of the populace into substantive discussions and significant actions. WEdecide2010 Concept This is envisioned to be the people’s alternative electoral campaign to rally significant sections of the populace to their own agenda. Its primary task is to bring into the forefront immediate issues and concerns while creating an intelligent electorate in the process. WEdecide2010 will take off from the known issues of significant sections of the people. These issues will be talked about, studied and sharply defined as the campaign moves on. The initial resolutions will be drafted from the series of consultations which will be part of the people’s platform. These will then be lobbied to the candidates during electoral forums. Likewise, it will be popularized in media and through people’s education and propaganda campaign. It will have the following components: Activities
Inital Convenors and WEdecide 2010 Machinery
Target Basic Unit Formations:
Prepared by: ServeNet September 27, 2009 |
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