THE August Twenty One Movement (ATOM) said Friday that the laban (fight) hand sign used during the EDSA People Power Revolution should not be adopted by grifters because they do not possess the same virtues that Ninoy Aquino and Butz Aquino exemplified during the dark days of Martial Law.
This comes after Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste, and previously Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, flashed the “L” sign.
“The August Twenty-One Movement (ATOM) can co-exist and live with some of the most absurd moments and events that are happening every day in this part of the world, and Rep. Leandro Leviste’s association with the laban sign is not one of them,” ATOM said in a statement.
“We just saw that the good congressman (Leviste), who, just like a good senator (Cayetano), has recently decided to hijack the laban sign as well. His supporters can use many other signs for sure. Perhaps, even the favorite hand fist signal of their political patron. But the ‘L’ sign is not a word that must be associated with him. There are many other L words to choose from. Maybe ‘lobbying’ or ‘lapdog’. It’s cringe to use the people to make them shout ‘Leviste!’ while flashing this sacred sign of the Filipinos,” it added.
Meanwhile, the Liberal Party (LP) of the Philippines called out Sen. Robinhood Padilla for flashing the hand sign during an Iglesia ni Cristo rally on Thursday.
“It seems your voices have gotten a little louder. But before you come looking for us, perhaps it's worth taking a little trip down memory lane,” the party said in Filipino.
“When thousands of Filipinos were being killed under the war on drugs during Rodrigo Duterte's administration, where were you? When we called on the public not to support those accused of corruption, where were you? When we stood up for press freedom and questioned actions that many viewed as threats to a free press, where were you? When thousands of Filipinos took to the streets to fight for freedom, democracy, and accountability, where were you?” LP said.
The party reminded Padilla that the laban sign is a symbol of democracy and the Filipino people.
“There is no chapter in history where the Liberal Party of the Philippines and our allies acted to rescue or shield anyone who should be held accountable under the law,” the party said.
“Nor has there ever been a time in our history when we spoke up only when we ourselves were affected. We have been speaking out for a long time—even when it was unpopular, even when it invited criticism, and even when we stood in the minority,” it added.
The three-day INC rally at the Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila in support of embattled Sen. Rodante Marcoleta ended on Friday.