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Wednesday, June 08, 2005
50,000 to join 'Day of mourning'
By Erwin Ambo S. Delilan
ABOUT 50,000 Negrenses, including Bacoleños are expected to join the "Day of Mourning and Protest" to be held at the Bacolod Public Plaza in the afternoon of June 12.
Bishop Vicente Navarra of the Diocese of Bacolod will lead the protest action along with all the priests in the diocese.
Navarra also said masses in the afternoon of Sunday will also be cancelled in all churches under the Diocese of Bacolod to give way to everybody to join the protest.
Fr. Anecito "Mao" Buenafe, head of the Social Action Center in the diocese said the protest will focus on the ventilation of people's disgust over the present Arroyo administration for failure to address some social and economic problems of the country.
Among them, said Buenafe are the worsening poverty, power and water rates hikes, oil price increases, fare hike, high prices of basic commodities, approval of the value added tax, among others.
He said the protest is meant to let President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo hear the people's grievances.
But Navarra assured the public including Arroyo's supporters in Negros that despite the protest the church would never move to spearhead coup plot against the President.
Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas Rafael "Lito" Coscolluela, meanwhile, said, "It's good to note that the Negrenses are now ready to air out their concerns for the President and address them one by one," said Coscolluela, also a former governor of Negros Occidental.
Coscolluela further assured the public that whatever their concerns here in Negros he will let the President know about it.
He, however, appealed to all Negrenses not to expect any miracle from Arroyo. He said Arroyo is not a 'Wonder Woman' but she's just like an ordinary woman.
Coscolluela also admitted that the President's popularity rating is now plummeting. He, however, said this was also expected before.
"What the President is appealing to us is to give her a little chance," stressed Coscolluela.
The President is now bent on instituting economic, fiscal and management reforms in the country.
(June 7, 2005 issue)
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