SAN FERNANDO CITY (Feb. 14) — Militant organizations in Ilocos greet President Arroyo with protests on Valentine’s Day on the peak of National Broadband Network (NBN) exposé.

With the calls Mrs. Arroyo broke the people’s heart, umbrella organization Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN)-Ilocos issued a statement on the alleged abduction of NBN witness Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada Jr. and the $329M ZTE deal.

According to Louie Santos, spokesperson of BAYAN-Ilocos, Lozada’s abduction perpetrated by no less than government security forces speaks of the ruthlessness of this regime but what the nation witnessed and heard in the Senate hearing today is a testament that this government has no conscience and that it will go to such lengths and more so as to preserve itself in power.

Santos noted such as a “acts of ruthlessness” stating that, “And while in power, it will not hurt to make use of their influence to enter into corrupt and anomalous deals such as the $329M ZTE Deal and according to Lozada, the Southrail Project. No government can be so casual and callous with such deplorable acts.”

Santos added that this regime is so weak and so threatened, it has even scheme up a plan so that Lozada can escape from a mere Senate hearing and that it is ready to risk even targeting a known personality such as Lozada if only to protect herself from any further damaging exposé.

“It is then no wonder that it continue to perpetrate extra-judicial killings which has reached 887 (as of October 2007) despite the risk of national and international condemnation,” Santos added in his statement.

Meanwhile, Ilocos Human Rights Alliance (IHRA) Public Information Officer Rhanny Urbis said that it is only a government, which can no longer lead by reason that resorts to lead by force. GMA knows that danger is underway and that if she intends to stay in power until 2010, she has to do that with brutality.

“It is no wonder that it uses fascist moves such as killings and disappearances to institutionalize fear, but it cannot always keep people like Lozada from exposing the truth,” Urbis stressed.

Urbis and Santos said that there is no reason for PGMA to celebrate Valentines Day, rather, the regime give the people a perfect valentines’ gift. “The GMA regime is no longer capable of staying in power, and the only solution for her to stop breaking the hearts of the people is to step out of Macalanang,” they furthered. # Rod Tajon for NORDIS