By INNABUYOG-GABRIELA

There is no respite in President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’ s persecution of women. She has been lashing at every woman and any woman who dare criticize her.

The most recent victims were media personalities Ces Drilon, Ellen Tordesillas and Dana Batnag. Rather than laud this women for courageously covering the Manila Peninsula siege, to deliver to the people the news despite the dangers posed against them by the situation, the Arroyo administration decided to persecute them. More insulting, it was done in the usual gutless manner of the AFP of spreading malicious and baseless statements.

In the midst of the persecution of these journalists, Malacañang swarmed on outgoing Civil Service Commissioner Karina David for exposing the palakasan (patronage politics) system in the appointment of public officials. They even rendered the services of the sham women’s party list Babae Ka to lash at Ms. David.

Then, there is the continued detention via trumped up charges of elderly women activists Angie Ipong and Elizabeth Principe. More blood-curdling is the sexual torture in the hands of GMA’s soldiers of missing UP students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño as narrated by Raymund Manalo, who survived an enforced disappearance.

But Macapal-Arroyo’ s venomous whip flogs the marginalized women en masse even more. As homemakers, women are hit hardest by demolition of urban poor communities within Metro Manila without relocation. So does the continuing price increases of basic commodities caused by oil price hikes. Yet, GMA remains adamant in its refusal to repeal the 12% VAT on oil, prioritizing the government coffers (or personal loot) over the well-being of Filipino families.

That Filipino women are being persecuted under the current woman president is not just ironic. It is vicious. #