No greater love

JAPAN — Today, if the public bidding will proceed, the Filipinos may lose their historic property in Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku in Tokyo, Japan. In the property stands the historic building that serves as the official residence of Philippine ambassadors to Japan. This historic property, built during the Tokugawa era, was purchased in 1944 by the Philippine government under the name of the Filipino people.

We may soon lose this national patrimony, a beautiful reminder of the courage and love of our Filipino soldiers who gave up their lives for our freedom, if we, the Filipino people, will allow the GMA government to build their planned 21-story building within close proximity to the famous Yasukuni Shrine.

Let us support the strong appeal of the Save Fujimi Property International Network to stop the bidding process for this national treasure!

The following is a reprint of their statement, of their appeal to stop the bidding immediately signed by both Japanese and Filipinos in Japan:

“As Filipinos concerned with protecting our historical and cultural legacies, we are outraged by this move of the Arroyo government. We demand the total scrapping of the invitation to bid issued by the Philippine Department of Finance and we are advising interested bidders to withdraw their bid for the following reasons:

1) The invitation to bid to develop the Fujimi property issued by the Department of Finance is highly suspect given the coming presidential elections in May 2010. The Arroyo government has been implicated in various high profile corruption cases and we are concerned that many doubts exist about the real intent behind this move to commercialize the Fujimi ambassadorial residence.

2) Any major decision related to this historic Filipino owned property must be done with full public hearing, both in the Philippines and Japan, backed up by thorough studies and with utmost transparency.

We, the undersigned, therefore request your honor that the bidding process be immediately stopped. Finally, we strongly believe that any major decision on this issue be done by a more legitimate successor government with the people's mandate.

This Philippine property in Japan is our country’s way of honoring those who fought bravely and gave up their lives for our freedom. To borrow today’s reading from the Daily Bread where today’s article title is derived, “ We honor the memory of those who paid the ultimate price for freedom. ..It is important to remember those who have given their lives for their country.”

Putting up this property of the Filipino people for public bidding shows the lack of historical sensitivity as well as the disregard of this present administration for the blood offered by our Filipino soldiers to defend our freedom.

This rare historical Filipino property is a present source of pride and honor as well for the Filipino people, the rightful owners of this property who should be properly consulted about any plans or proposal to put this property up for bidding.

Let us not allow this administration to squander our national patrimony. Let us not allow this government to disregard the ultimate sacrifice of our Filipino soldiers!

Let us not give this government another chance to touch any more public funds that they do not deserve to have. Enough already. Tama na,sobra na!

This government has yet to account for so much public funds that it has used up. How dare they sell the patrimony of our people?

They have not yet even accounted for the huge budget they have already used but with so much more services for the people awaiting immediate, urgent attention. And now, they are planning to bid our precious properties in the Philippines and in Tokyo just so they can get their hands on more public funds?

Please do not allow this government to sell off whatever precious properties we have left in our country and abroad. Please join the campaign to stop the public bidding for the Fujimi property, and for other public properties that belong to our people, not to this GMA administration!

Please let your voices be heard and be among those our history will remember as having done their share to preserve what rightly belongs to our people!

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