THE seven members of the so-called Makabayan Bloc on Thursday broke away from the pro-administration coalition in the House of Representatives“Today, we, the seven party-list representatives of the Makabayan Bloc, declare our separation from the majority coalition in the House of Representatives to intensify our opposition to the Duterte administration that has now fully unraveled as a fascist, pro-imperialist and anti-people regime,” the group said. “We take due notice of the decision of the seven party-list representatives belonging to the Makabayan Bloc to leave the House of Representatives’ majority coalition,” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a statement. The members of the Makabayan Bloc are Reps. Antonio Tinio and France Castro of the ACT Teachers Party-List, Emmi de Jesus and Arlene Brosas of ACT Teachers, Carlos Isagani Zarate of Bayan Muna, Ariel Casilao of Anakpawis and Sarah Elago of Kabataan. Tinio then led the House committee on public information, Zarate was head of the House committee on environment and natural resources, and De Jesus was head of the poverty alleviation committee. The group also slammed the President’s “independent foreign policy” that it said had turned out to be a farce.

Source: The Standard September 14, 2017 15:56 UTC