Magdalo History

July 27, 2003 – Some 300 junior officers and soldiers from elite forces of the AFP conglomerated at the Oakwood Premier Hotel. Restive and disgruntled of the present administration of GMA these officers and men decided to air their grievances in mass so as to get the publics attention in the rampant corruption in the government and the prevalence of social injustice all over the country.

Armed with idealism and a symbol the “Magdalo Group” was born.

After 20 hours of negotiations the officers and soldiers satisfied that the message about this corrupt administration was seeded in the minds of the filipino public, they stood down and surrendered to their superiors without bloodshed and not even firing a single shot with the gentlemans agreement that only the senior leaders of the group will be responsible for the incident and that majority of those who believed in the cause and followed were only to be admonished. The government true to form reneged the agreement and prosecuted all those who participated in the incident and detained those who were involved.

A following of the “Magdalo Group” was created as it was projected to be the number one opposition to the corrupt and mismanaged system of GMA. The Magdalo Group and its symbol of the sun with alibata letter “k” in a red background became the symbols of severe protest against the present administration of corruption and the uncompromised idealism of the youth and all those who long for a change in the country.

The months following the “Oakwood Incident” has brought about what the Magdalo Group has been warning against the administration of GMA. The massive cheating in the May 2004 Presidential Elections, the Jose Pidal Account, the Plunder of the Major General Garcia, the unexplained wealth of PAGCOR President Genuino, the most expensive road in the world the Macapagal Hi-way and so much more. Close at home to the soldiers is the continued war in Mindanao and the continued pilfirage of the Armed Forces ammunitions to its enemy rebels. All these incidents have brought the public to conclude that the Magdalo Group was in the right to air their grievances in favor of the public against the corrupt system of GMA. The Magdalo Group has brought to light the folly of the GMA administration.

In May 2005, the 184 enlisted personnel who took part in the Oakwood Incident was released after 22 months of detention after a plea bargaining agreement was brokered by the defense lawyers of thre Magdalo Group and the Panel of Military Prosecutors. True to their promise to their men the Magdalo Group officers saw to it that the most junior members of the group should first be released before those who are senior in rank.

In June 2005 the “Hello Garci” Scandal surfaced re-affirming the theory that Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo with the cooperation of the COMELEC cheated her closest rival Fernado Poe Jr to win the 2004 Presidential Elections. The whole scandal was culminated by personal admission of the President of the incident and her apology in nationwide television. The president was not prosecuted for the crime and her impeachement was railroaded in Congress in her favor.

July 8, 2005, members of the Arroyo cabinet resigned in mass as a sign of protest in relation to the “Hello Garci” Scandal. Ten members of the cabinet resigned together with some civil society groups condemned the presidents involvement in the cheating in the 2004 elections. Among those who resigned were Secreatary Soledad “Dinky” Soliman of the DSWD and Secreatary Butch Abad of the DEPED who are among the closest associates of GMA.

On February 24, 2006 Brigedier General Danilo Lim of the Philippine Army Scout Ranger Regiment was put on house arrest by the CSAFP, General Generoso Senga in connection with the protest action that was happening in the streets against the present administration. The Magdalo Group was tapped to support these protest actions and if ever the events would snowball into a full blown people power the group was asked to participate. The rallies were pre-empted by the police in compliance with the EO 1071. The rallyist were dispersed even before rallies were organized as a preventive action for disorder. But again the rights of the people at large to freely air their grievances were curtailed and their rights to peaceably assembly was not given a chance to materialize. The simple civil liberties of the filipino public was trampled uponn by the GMA administration.

As a continuation of the February 24 rallies, on February 26 Colonel Ariel Querubin of the Philippine Marines, a war of Mindanao veteran and a recipient of the highest medal in the military “the Medal of Valor”, aired his grievance against the Arroyo administration and led a battalion of marines officers and soldiers in a stand-off inside the Philippine Marine Headquarters in Fort Bonifacio Makati City. Civilian supporters raged the streets and went to Fort Bonifacio to show their support for the “stand-off”and the eventual withdrawal of support of the military to the Arroyo government. The stand-off ended as the members of the battalion went back to barracks and acceeded to the command and authority of the present Commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps.

December 10, 2006 – LtSg Antonio F Trillanes IV registered as a voter in his city residence of Caloocan in preparation for his eventual running as a senator in the 2007 midterm elections.

February 3, 2007 – LtSg Antonio F Trillanes IV filed his certificate of candidacy for senator at the Main Office of the Comelec in Manila.

The campaign period of the midterm elections of 2007 saw the government belittling the support given to LtSg Trillanes and mocking the Magdalo Group as a political entity. But then again the news of widespread support for the Magdalo and the candidacy of LtSg Trillanes became undeniable as people from all walks of life pledged to vote for LtSg Trillanes because they believe in the cause that he represents and as protest to the continued hold to power of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

May 10, 2007 – Midterm elections. Millions of filipinos went out to vote for whom they think should be part of the countries leadership. 11 million of them voted for LtSg Trillanes to be come senator of the land.

By June, Senator-elect Antonio F Trillanes IV was proclaimed and was sworn in as senator of the republic.

September 2007 saw another attempt of the Arroyo administration to compromise the welfare of the filipino people by entering into an agreement with China. Billions of pesos worth of bribe money was testified by those privy to the deal to have been given to government cofers. These government brokers of the deal included the Chairman of the Comelec Benjamin Abalos who was bribing the NEDA Secreatary Romulo Neri with 200 million pesos to approve the deal. The president personally went to China to seal the deal with the NBN-ZTE.

The Magdalo believes that to distract attention from the ongoing senate investigation of the NBN-ZTE deal the Glorietta was bombed on October 19 in the afternoon where 11 persons perished and hundreds more were injured. Further blunder was the inconclusive investigation made by local authorities in the incident and the continued whitewash of government entities of the culpability of the Arroyo administration. The senate investigation was delayed for months and Neri stopped short of naming the president as accomplice in the deal by invoking the unconstitutional EO 464 or the “Executive Privelege”.

November 29, 2007 – together with BGen Danilo Lim and Former Vice-President Teofisto Guingona, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and the Magdalo Group marched off their Makati court hearing and went to the Manila Peninsula Hotel to stage another protest action against the Arroyo administration. Together with civilian supporters and some military men the group was able to hold the hotel but the civilian supporters of the Magdalo Group was prevented from entering the Makati area in order for the group not to have enough civilian support to force GMA to step down. The government used lethal force in arresting the situation which prompted the group to surrender.

By the December 21, 2007, the remaining junior officers of the Magdalo Group was released upon punishment of the time served in detention and discharged from the service. Again a result of a plea bargaining agreement and the intention of the leadership of the group to reintegrate its more junior members in the mainstream of society. Most of these officers are now employed as agents of the PDEA and officers of the Philippine Coast Guard.

By 2008 the Magdalo Group decided to field a party for the party-list election and created the Samahang Magdalo to be its grassroots constituency. The Magdalo further pushed for the candidacy of General Danny Lim in the senate in the 2010 elections.

September 3, 2009 – Magdalo Para Sa Pagbabago applied for accreditation as a regional party at COMELEC in order to join the party-list race in May 2010 elections.

Today Magdalo is a national social reform movement that symbolizes courage in the face of adversity, integrity in public service, and the highest sense of nationalism and patriotism.

Vision

The Magdalo vision is to have a nation of peace, progress and prosperity with social justice thru a united, responsible and empowered citizenry.

Mission

The Magdalo mission is to create a culture of selfless service among members by advocating social justice, vigilance on crime and corruption, environmental protection and social awareness; and to instill an attitude of self reliance and cooperativism that shall influence the Filipino society.

Pillars of the New Katipunan

Nationalism – Sense of nationhood as Filipinos with shared responsibility for the future and well being of our country
Patriotism – Fervent love of the motherland
Idealism – Belief and pursuit of a better life for every Filipino
Altruism – Devotion of selfless service to the welfare of our people

Oath of the New Katipuneros

I am willing to lay down my life in the pursuit of the Vision
I will be loyal always to the National Interest
I am willing to be a catalyst of change of an oppressive and unjust society into one that advocates equality and social justice
I will respect human rights
I will not commit any acts of corruption
I will live a modest life commensurate to my legal means
I am willing to be punished should I betray any decree of this oath
I am doing this supreme act of sacrifice for God, Country and People with no promise of reward, compensation or recognition

The Magdalo Core Values

Courage- Moral courage
Honor- Personal integrity
Industry- Self reliance and cooperativism
Loyalty- Oath of loyal service to country and people
Discipline- Upright character

Magdalo Colors

The Magdalo Flag is the Red Bonifacio flag with a radiant sun that has 16 rays and alibata “K” inscription

The white Radiant Sun signifies a new dawn for the Motherland

The 16 rays represent the 16 regions of the Philippines

Embedded inside the radiant sun is the alibata “K” to represent the New Katipunan

It is color red to signify the oath of the New Katipuneros signed in blood