Monday, July 26, 2004 Militants hold rallies to greet Arroyo's Sona By Stephen Capillas
POLICE and military personnel assigned in Manila and all over the country are placed on heightened alert as President Arroyo delivers the State of the Nation Address (Sona) Monday.
It also marks the opening of the 13th Congress at the Batasan Pambansa in Quezon City.
About 6,000 members of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and Armed Forces of the Philippines-National Capital Region Command (AFP-NCRC) who make up Task Force Kapayapaan have been deployed to the Batasan.
This came about even as militant groups in Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental join their comrades around the country to dramatize their protest against the President's Sona in various activities Monday.
Among those scheduled to join today's rally are the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Northern Mindanao chapter, Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Misamis Oriental Farmers Association (MOFA-KMP), Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay); Gabriela-NMR and Anakbayan.
Also joining in are progressive party-lists Bayan Muna, Anakpawis Gabriela Womens Party, Suara Bangsamoro Party (SBP) and Migrante.
Meanwhile NCRPO chief Ricardo de Leon said policemen and soldiers have coordinated with the Office of the Sergeant of Arms of Congress on overall security coverage for the opening of the 13th Congress.
The police and military's primary concern is to thwart any attempt by groups that may take advantage of the situation and undertake terrorist activities such as "assassinations and bombings on vital installations to disrupt the event."
And in various statements the militant groups decried what they said is the quick faultfinding of the Arroyo regime on "destabilizers" they deemed responsible for the current crisis.
They said this led her to launch unabated attacks against progressive groups and party-lists led by the military.
"This, on the other hand, is but a fraction of the human rights violations committed by the Arroyo regime which has reached to more than 80,000 cases in Mindanao alone," they said.
They also said the government had not been remiss in serving US interests as shown in the Iraq war which they said had endangered the lives of overseas Filipino workers with their head at stake.
"It took the desperate situation of one Angelo dela Cruz to make Arroyo realize that she had to pull out the military contingent in Iraq and desist and from supporting Bush's war," they said.
They said they expect "more lies" from GMA's speech at the Sona, given that the 10-point agenda has yet to be presented "with much credibility."
The nation's crisis can only be attributed to the continued subservience of the state to US dictates and the continued exploitation of the local economy by the ruling elite.
"President Arroyo does not see this of course because she will be the main beneficiary in the next six years; it will now be her turn to rob the people of its life and its last drop liberty," they said. with a report from Sunnex
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