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Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Demonstrators defy rally ban
MANILA - Police blocked thousands of protesters who defied a ban and marched to Malacañang yesterday to demand a wage hike and President Arroyo’s ouster.
After holding May Day rallies in nearby Manila parks, about 7,000 militant laborers and followers of ousted president Joseph Estrada marched down a narrow avenue toward Mendiola Bridge.
Blocked
But they were blocked by riot policemen with truncheons, shields, chest armor and hardhats. The two sides started pushing each other at one point, but were pacified.
Policemen blocked two smaller groups of demonstrators that attempted to break into the security cordon near the palace earlier, but allowed about 10 leaders of one group to lay a wreath at the Mendiola Bridge to mark the anniversary of a 2001 clash between government forces and protesters who demanded Estrada’s return to power.
The Mendiola Bridge resembled a war zone with about 500 policemen standing guard, backed by battle-ready troops armed with assault rifles and other weapons. Barbed wire blocked the bridge.
In Tagaytay City, security forces claimed to have preempted a plot to bomb Labor Day rallies with the arrest of five communist rebels.
Government troops and police, on the highest state of security alert, had banned protests near the Malacañang palace in Manila for security reasons and amid rumors of a coup against Arroyo, who has been grappling with widespread calls for her resignation over vote-rigging and corruption allegations.
“The action of the protesters is illegal,” Metro Manila Police Chief Vidal Querol said of the protesters heading toward Mendiola.
He said he wanted to avoid a violent showdown.
After brief negotiations, police officers allowed the protesters to hold a rally until before nightfall at a busy junction where they were stopped—about two blocks away from the Mendiola Bridge.
Down the stretch to the bridge, which has become a symbol of resistance to government, three phalanxes of policemen blocked the avenue. A fire truck, its emergency red lights blinking and engine running, stood ready for action.
Manila Mayor Lito Atienza earlier declared Mendiola as a rally-free zone to avert any security risks.
Police officials appealed earlier to protesters to gather in five designated “freedom parks” in Manila and avoid the presidential palace area to prevent any violence. They deployed more than 5,000 policemen, backed by troops, to maintain order in the capital.
Batas Pambansa 880, which has recently been declared constitutional by the Supreme Court (SC), mandates local government units nationwide to designate at least an area in their respective cities or municipalities as a freedom park where protests can be held without a permit.
In a nationally televised address, Arroyo did not announce any specific wage hike demanded by workers, but presented a package of benefits—including scholarships, income tax exemptions for minimum—wage earners, government health insurance and pension plans for farm workers, fishermen, street hawkers and motorcycle taxi drivers.
Arroyo again condemned groups seeking to force her from power.
“I make a point to listen to the people’s needs every day, while our destabilizers listen to the call of self-interest and endless strife,” she said.
In commemorating Labor Day, demonstrators also demanded for a wage increase, oil price rollback and the junking of moves to effect changes in the country’s Charter.
Among those who joined the protest were about 1,000 supporters of deposed president Joseph Estrada and the late actor-turned-presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr., who gathered at Plaza Salamanca on Kalaw St. in Manila, as they demanded for the release of the former President.
Led by Estrada and Poe supporters Linggoy Alcuaz, Ronald Lumbao and actor Rez Cortez, the protesters said Arroyo should step down and release Estrada, whom they say is the legitimate president.
Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor reiterated that the Labor Day rallies should have focused on the workers. (AP)/Sunnex)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (May 2, 2006 issue)
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