GAYS WEIGH OPTIONS IN MAY POLLS

MANILA -- Militant gays said that they are not supporting anybody running for president and vice-president in the coming polls, but keep open to options presented by the exercise to ventilate demands and issues of the broad masses and gays and lesbians.

The Progressive Organization of Gays in the Philippines (Progay-Philippines) released its stand to guide its members in gauging opportunities for advancement of political rights, if any, that gay men may gain or lose before, during and after the elections. Progay said the election is largely the tool of the landed oligarchs to perpetuate their brutal exploitation of the vast majority of the people, but it may open tiny windows for raising the consciousness of the people to help them focus on social issues. 

Progay said that meaningful change is to increasingly dependent on other democratic forms of struggle such as protest actions and advocacy with courts and the Congress. 

Progay secretary-general Oscar Atadero said that the group has decided none of the frontrunners are nowhere near the people's basic agenda for nationalist and pro-people government. "All presidentiables and their running mates have platforms that essentially continue the bankrupt framework of  globalization under the Philippines 2000 of General Fidel Ramos, which of course will worsen the rapid loss of jobs, food supplies, farmlands and whatever democratic rights that remains uncorrupted by both the ruling and opposition parties," Atadero averred. 

Progay has consistently criticized politicians for issuing empty promises of legal recognition and benefits to gay men to get their votes and add color to otherwise drab campaign sorties. "Trapos (traditional politicians) want
to tap into the fact that gay men can be fiercely loyal fans, but what they fail time and again to take note is that we are usually the first to discern hypocrites and deceivers, and our loyalty can only be earned if they address our true needs," Atadero said.

Those true needs, he said, include gainful and stable local employment so that gay men and women have less motivation risking life as overseas contract workers and the realization of the right to free education, affordable housing and health care. Atadero said that since gay men are
already experiencing discrimination in the workplace and end up as self-employed service workers, the economic crisis spawned by Ramos's economic policies have hit their livelihood especially hard, but sadly politicians can only make empty promises.

While it will not campaign to dump any particular set of presidentiables and senatoriables, Progay indicated that it can actively resist a set of people who are the most willing to implement programs for foreign domination and
destruction of democratic rights such as the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade. It said it will mobilize members to join people's protests especially if those candidates are actually poised to win through widespread fraud and violence.

Atadero said that Progay need not remind gay men to stay clear of Vice-president Joseph Estrada's presidential bid since his deep-seated hatred against homosexual men and women is legendary and well-documented.

On the other hand, Progay is also warning the gay electorate of certain politicians who try to appear gay-friendly to the extent of promising special legislation and gay rights. "One solon offered to investigate workplace discrimination and homophobia, but we all know his military record as gross violator of human rights and is reportedly involved in rape and murder in the course of counter-insurgency operations. Another solon wanted to file a bill against discrimination but he is a landgrabber who is cruelly evicting fishermen from an island in Cebu."

"Of course, we ask the voters to respectfully turn down retired Gen. Arnulfo Acedera who seems to be interested in a local post somewhere in Metro Manila. We sympathize with decent gay soldiers whom Gen. Acedera scared with his ban on homosexuals in the armed forces last year, and we owe it to the Filipino gay men that we campaign for militarists like him to remain out of government."

Progay says it is not closing its doors to politicians running for the House and local posts who want to garner some form of support. It says that if asked, it can provide discreet endorsement to candidates who have had a record of progressive stands on people's issues, who sincerely prevented demolitions of urban poor communities, resisted the Visiting Forces Agreement and opposed the Oil Deregulation Law and tuition fee increases. 

Atadero also said the more important tasks of organized gay men lie ahead after the elections. The challenge, he said, was to strengthen the organizations of gay men and ready them to join the struggles of farmers, students and workers to fight against increased economic exploitation.
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