"CPR is a sign of a government without moral command," Archbishop Oscar Cruz of Lingayen-Dagupan Diocese said.

Cruz, a known critic of the present administration, said he is against the implementation of the CPR because such an act is only good for terrorists, criminals, and hoodlums.

But sadly, CPR, he said, is being used as an overall weapon against finding the truth and the observance of justice.

"CPR is a serious affront to democracy, a big insult to free and thinking people," he added.

"It is the declaration of war against the citizenry, a desecration of human dignity and its inalienable rights. CPR has no place in a civilized society ruled by supposedly civilized public authority," Cruz said.

"CPR is against not only the citizens but also the persons commanded to apply it. In the concrete local scene, when CPR takes place between the rallyists and the police force, all of them are poor losers," he added.

"If there’s one thing that is predictable, he said, is that the continuous observance of CPR can only bring about the imperative of more constant progressive repression (CPR) of human rights, violation of human limbs and ultimate loss of human lives."

KMP assails Palace plan to file charges vs militant groups

By ELLALYN B. DE VERA

The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), one of the organizers of last Friday’s protest rally and composed mainly of peasants and fishermen, assailed yesterday a Malacañang plan to file charges against leaders of militant organizations who joined the rally.

Danilo Ramos, secretary-general of KMP, said the suit was "simply harassment."

"When Malacañang could not stop us from launching protest rallies to oust Gloria with the calibrated preemptive response (CPR), it is now trying to use the courts to cow us into submission. We all have news for them, it will not succeed," he said.

"Actually, we are the ones aggrieved not only because our ranks have more injuries but, more so because they harassed our caravan since Day 1, even infiltrating our ranks to sow chaos, as well as preventing us from getting to our destination, while we have a permit."

"Contrary to what the police would like the public to believe, we have a permit because the Manila City Hall did not act on our letter after two days of its receipt as stated in Batas Pambansa (BP) 880 it is therefore deemed granted. The police has no right to block our march to Mendiola," he added.

"The police, the Department of Justice and some administration solons are even trying to harass Badrul Alam, a Bangladeshi, vice chairman of the Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) and member of the International Coordinating Council of the La Via Campesina, an international organization of peasants by threatening to investigate and deport him while he is only expressing his support to the Filipino peasants call to oust Gloria. This regime is really so paranoid. And it will only succeed in isolating itself further from the people," Willy Marbella, internal deputy secretary general of KMP said.

The group is preparing to file charges against the Manila police, including the frontliners to the highest officials of Manila City Hall and Malacañang.

"We will not allow our rights to be trampled upon," Marbella said.

Earlier, organizers of the week-long "Lakbayan" peasant march condemned National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Vidal Querol for saying that the 7,000 farmers and fishermen marchers were merely sowing terror among the people in Metro Manila.

In a joint press statement, rally organizers KMP, and Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) criticized Querol for his remarks against farmers and fisherfolks saying that they are a "class in the countryside sowing terror and disorder."

The groups said they would not tolerate Querol’s "terrorist tagging and class hitting."

The KMP’s chapters in 61 provinces and 15 regions and Pamalakaya chapter’s 43 provinces and five regions declared their respective territories as "Gloria-free and Querol-free" areas.

Malacañang laments cold response by opposition

Malacañang lamented yesterday the cold response by the opposition to the call of the leaders of two big religious organizations in the country to end the political bickering that has been hurting the nation and its already-battered economy.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye expressed exasperation after former President Corazon Aquino has reportedly regretted on giving her support to President Arroyo whom the former has accused of cheating her way to victory in last year’s elections.

"It is regrettable that critics of President Arroyo have failed to heed the call of religious leaders and the people for an end to political bickering," he said in an official statement, apparently referring to Aquino’s fresh tirade against Mrs. Arroyo.

While she may have batted for constitutional succession when she joined public clamors for the President’s resignation, Aquino has also lashed out at Vice President Noli de Castro as "not being attractive as an alternative" to Mrs. Arroyo.

The former president was one of the most vocal voices demanding for the resignation of Mrs. Arroyo whom the former has supported in the unprecedented ouster of detained President Joseph Estrada four years ago.

Although he has resorted to calling the opposition as "hypocrites and pretenders" before, Bunye now refused to give his comments on Aquino’s latest tirades, stressing that the Arroyo administration will no longer dignify the opposition’s attacks on the President.

"We shall not be drawn into counterproductive exchanges, rather we will maintain our focus on our people’s welfare and advancement," he said.

El Shaddai Leader Bro. Mike Velarde and Iglesia ni Cristo Executive Minister Eraño Manalo have jointly called on the opposition and the administration to stop all their political bickering, and instead work on alleviating the current economic hardships.

A day after the two religious leaders have called for a halt to political bickering, Mrs. Arroyo has lashed out at the opposition for "sabotaging" the long-hoped-for economic take-off through their continued mass actions and protest activities.

Bunye said despite the political turmoil, the country is now "well within its reach" its economic take-off, saying that the Arroyo administration is resolved in making the Philippine market economy as a vanguard in the global arena.

"We have planted the seeds of our economic future with tough fiscal reform measures. We should not let the opportunity slip by because of intense political bickering and partisanship," he added.