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Thursday, August 28, 2003
Police on high alert v. rallyists, terror attacks
By Miko Santos
EASTERN Police District anti-riot teams, composed of a total of 200 policemen, are standing by in the vicinity of the Edsa Shrine in Mandaluyong City to guard against possible anti-government protests, a police official said Wednesday.
Inspector Rimmar Alam, head of the civil disturbance management team from the Mandaluyong police, said that his team of 50 policemen have been in the area since Tuesday afternoon.
He said three other police teams from the municipality of San Juan, Marikina City and Pasig City form part of the contingent against the protesters.
"We were just told to keep protesters away from the shrine," he said in
Filipino. "Except for EDSA Dos, we have always been successful in keeping the peace here."
Meanwhile, the Western Police District (WPD) is also on high alert after receiving unconfirmed reports that the Pandacan oil depot and Malacaņang may be targets of terror attacks.
"EDSA Dos" refers to the multitude that gathered around the shrine on January 2001 for a second bloodless revolt that ousted then president Joseph Estrada and catapulted former vice president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to power.
The first successful "people power" revolution was staged in 1986 when the wife of slain opposition senator Benigno Aquino, Jr., Corazon Aquino, led millions to topple former dictator Ferdinand Marcos and assumed the presidency. |
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