The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) said that the planned funeral march of Fernando Poe Jr, this coming December 22,would show that indeed he was cheated in the last elections. 

According to Danilo “Ka Daning” Ramos, secretary general of the group, that as “the out-pouring of Poe’s supporters at his wake would attest that he has a large following and estimates are saying that more than a million would participate on the march, not counting those who would mourn outside the nation’s capital. This would definitely rival that of Ninoy Aquino’s. 

“Poe’s funeral though can hardly be shielded from politics because he is a national political figure and still most people fill that he was cheated by Gloria. Even the leaders of the striking workers in Hacienda Luisita will visit the wake tonight to offer their condolences to his widow and relatives as well as to call for justice for the martyrs of the Hacienda Luisita Massacre,” added the peasant leader.

As for his part Carl Anthony Ala, public information officer of KMP, “ the December 22 funeral march of Mr. Poe would indeed be a very dramatic and volatile event and Malacanang should not in any way try to suppress or subvert it. The people are only mourning their fallen idol and any move of Pres. Macapagal-Arroyo would only lead to her further isolation from the people. It is better that Malacanang keep its mouth shut,”

“With Gloria’s popularity rating at its all time low, a wrong move now would spell her ouster and the end of her political career. She should not try to ride on the media blitz Poe’s death has attracted and she should tell her spin-doctors to stop creating issues or scenarios in their vain effort to downplay the number of people supporting Poe,” ended Ala. # # #
 

KMP - 20 December 2004