"Smith's illegal transfer and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's (GMA) servility to the US have made the administration slate more distasteful and vile," AKBAYAN Rep. Risa Hontiveros said. "Why vote for candidates who are willing to represent and work for an administration whose track record consists of fraud, abuse of power, and subservience to US' interests?"

The group held a noise barrage in Welcome Rotonda to remind voters in the 2007 polls of how unworthy this administration is to represent the interest of the public.

AKBAYAN leader and University of the Philippines (UP) Prof. Walden Bello added that voters should commit to memory the administration's unconstitutional acts and use it as the basis of their votes in the forthcoming election. He slammed what he described as a severe betrayal of the country's dignity and chided Macapagal-Arroyo for claiming that preserving the US-RP ties is beneficial for the country.

"The US government has consistently promoted its interest, not ours. If Macapagal-Arroyo has consistently violated the Constitution, the US government has consistently worked against Philippine democracy and sovereignty. What happened on December 29, 2006, is just a repetition of how the US has treated the Philippines as if it were its servant and how the Philippine elite, this time represented by a fraudulent administration, has given in to the US," Bello said.

Both Bello and Rep. Hontiveros called for the immediate revocation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). "The Senate should immediately reconvene to rescind the VFA. Under this fraudulent administration, a flawed agreement will the VFA will always be implemented against the national interest," they said.

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