Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Colmenares.
We are honoured to have you here as a representative of the Bayan Muna party in the Philippines.
Your party seeks to raise the quality of life for all Filipinos by establishing a very meaningful representative government as well as by fighting corruption in government. It is extremely disheartening, however, to hear that your party and its members have been targets of numerous violent attacks, including murder and arbitrary arrests.
As you know, the next elections in the Philippines are due to take place in 2013. How do you think your party will be affected in these elections? Regarding those who might otherwise have voted for you, how have the violent actions taken against your party had an impact through fear of personal attack? How has this affected those who are thinking about running as possible candidates in the coming elections? On a more personal level, what has been your experience working within a government that appears largely hostile to your party?
Please comment on that.