Militant OFWs throw shoes at Arroyo picture

MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s framed picture took a heavy beating from an angry overseas Filipino workers’ group on Thursday as its members threw shoes at it, in imitation of an Arab journalist who threw his shoes in anger at US President George Bush. About 50 members of Migrante trooped to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) office in Manila to protest the alleged irresponsibility of the Arroyo administration on the plight of thousands of Filipino workers overseas. Al-Zeidi, a correspondent for Al-Baghdadia television – an Iraqi-owned station based in Cairo, Egypt – hurled the shoes at outgoing President Bush earlier this month while shouting, "this is a farewell kiss, you dog!" in Arabic. Bush ducked both shoes as they whizzed past his head and landed with a thud against the wall behind him. In Arab culture, throwing shoes at a person is said to be a sign of contempt. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita earlier quelled fears that a similar incident would happen to Arroyo, saying that the local media is more “decent." Gary Martinez, Migrante chair, told GMANews.TV in an interview that it won’t be long before shoes would be sent flying to Arroyo in person. "In the anger of OFWs, it’s not impossible for Arroyo to experience what happened to Bush in Iraq," he said. While throwing shoes at a person does not have a cultural significance in the Philippines – unlike egg and rotten tomato throwing – Martinez said the message is the same. “It just shows we no longer respect her as a leader," he said. Aside from throwing shoes at Arroyo’s picture, the group also sent a gift to the DFA Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr., who Martinez said has been in hiding since the Manila hosting of the 2nd Global Forum on Migration and Development concluded in October. “We brought his resignation letter," Martinez said. - Mark Joseph Ubalde, GMANews.TV