‘Juana Change’ drops yellow color, joins call for Aquino’s impeachment
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Mae Paner, also known as Juana Change, joined the protest, on Monday, calling for the impeachment of President Benigno Aquino III, and wore a Filipiniana dress she once wore in a campaign for him.
“I was ‘yellow’ before,” Paner told the crowd at Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, referring to Mr. Aquino’s political campaign color.
“I’m sorry that I supported him. I thought the lives of ordinary people would improve under his administration,” said Paner, a petitioner in the impeachment complaint against Aquino.
“It turned out, the end of his straight path is a cliff,” she said.
Paner told the crowd to watch out for her costume change at Congress during the President’s State of the Nation Address.
At the sidelines, Paner said she hoped the President would show humility in his speech and say something new aside from defending the DAP.
Former Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño shared Paner’s sentiment on an apology.
“A sorry would be a good start,” Casiño said when asked what he expected from the President’s speech. “Say sorry to his boss.”
“Admit he made a mistake and rectify it by putting a stop to the pork barrel system,” Casiño said.
Casiño said Aquino’s refusal to apologize showed that he has been representing the wrong system itself, which has long been benefiting the members of the ruling class like him.
Good faith was not enough because they violated the Constitution and opened the budget for corruption and political patronage, Casiño said.
“It would be ironic when Congress gives him a standing ovation for defending DAP and the pork barrel system,” said Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes.
“He stole the power of Congress (over the budget) and yet his supporters will applaud him,” Reyes said.
“We expect him to use the SONA to defend himself from DAP and allegations of corruption. He might go as far as defending himself from the allegations contained in the impeachment complaint and thereby influence Congress,” Reyes said.
He said Mr. Aquino would flaunt the supposed economic gains under his administration “which are not felt by ordinary people.”
“What the people are seeing is corruption. At this point, having filed the impeachment complaint, we’re no longer expecting anything from his administration,” he said.
“Filing the impeachment is a judgment that he’s no longer fit to lead the country,” Reyes said.
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