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Friday, April 28, 2006
1T soldiers on standby to keep Labor Day rite peaceful
* A ranking official of the Catholic Church urges workers to remain calm
THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has assigned one thousand crowd management troops for deployment to three key areas in Metro Manila for violence that may arise during the planned anti-government protest rallies coinciding with the Labor Day celebration.
AFP Public Information Office (PIO) Chief Tristan Kison said the military would be sending troops to Mendiola near Malacañang, the People Power Monument in Edsa and at the Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila if the need arises.
"The deployment would be dependent on the needs. We are not against rallies but it's (conduct of rallies) not absolute. If they turn out peaceful, that's okay but if not, that the time the AFP and the Philippine National Police (PNP) will enter," he said.
Kison did not discount possibilities that some sectors would disrupt the activity through bombing. "It's possible that some may plant bombs and that is what we are trying to prevent," he said.
Last Thursday morning, the military's National Capital Region Command rehearsed its preparations for May 1, deploying a hundreds of members of the Civil Disturbance Management Unit (CDMU) at the Edsa Shrine.
The command, considered as the military's anti-coup force, was reactivated after the short-lived mutiny by some 300 officers and men in Makati City in July 2003.
Earl Evan Pabalan, deputy chief of the AFP-PIO, said the "pre-deployment" rehearsal was normal "so that the troops would know where to position themselves during actual deployment."
"That's part of our security arrangements," said Pabalan of the rehearsal. "We imbue this as security preparations for May 1. I'm saying these are part of the security preparations," he added.
Quoting from minutes of a supposed meeting between rightist and leftist leaders, top military officials claimed that anti-Arroyo forces may mass up about 500,000 rallyists at the vicinity of Malacañang on May 1 to press for the ouster of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
If a critical mass is reached, a faction within the military may supposedly withdraw support from President Arroyo. Also, authorities are bracing for "strike operations" that may be launched by rightist soldiers during the massing up of the rallyists.
When asked if there is a threat of a power grab on May 1, Kison said:
"We don't see anything yet but its too early to say so we are increasing our intelligence gathering efforts just to make sure that May 1 will pass with the least disturbance, with the least violence if we could not prevent at all."
On February 24, the military relieved and placed under restriction Army Brigadier General Danilo Lim, the erstwhile commander of the elite First Scout Ranger Regiment, for allegedly plotting to overthrow the Arroyo government.
Lim was supposed to lead his men in joining the anti-government rallies that day and subsequently withdraw his support from Arroyo. Also linked to the plot was Marine Colonel Ariel Querubin, former head of the First Marine Brigade.
Meanwhile, Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales appealed to workers to remain calm and do not be carried away by their emotional outburst during the Labor Day.
Rosales issued the plea after various labor groups claimed that they will hold protest rallies in Mendiola, which has been declared by the government as "no rally zone," to test if authorities would still impose the calibrated pre-emptive response (CPR) despite the Supreme Court's (SC) ruling which nullified it.
"There is no need for demonstration, there is no need for any protest march. What we need is the revolution in our hearts," he said.
Rosales said mass actions will not resolve anything but will further cause undue damage.
Last May 1, 2001 revelry, many innocent civilians died and were injured when protesting workers attempted to enter Malacañang.
Rosales asked the employers and the government to look into the possibility of increasing workers' salary to help them cope with the rising cost of essential goods and services. "I think a Christian nation and a believer of God should study this and give it (wage increase) to workers and their respective families," he said.
While he agreed that the government cannot prevent the prices of oil and commodities to increase, he said it is important that the purchasing power of workers be protected by adjusting their salaries. (VR/MSN/Sunnex)
(April 28, 2006 issue)
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