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Friday, April 23, 2004
AFP, PNP prepare for anti-Glo rally on Labor Day
MANILA -- The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Thursday said it would help the Philippine National Police (PNP) in maintaining peace and order during the planned Labor Day protest against the Arroyo administration.
Malacaņang, on the other hand, was quick to react; saying the move of opposition groups was a "desperate move" and a "virtual admission" of their defeat in the May 10 elections.
At least three presidential candidates have confirmed their support for the May 1 rally to denounce President Arroyo's alleged misuse of government funds for her election campaign.
Armed Forces spokesman Daniel Lucero said they are prepared to give assistance to the PNP-Civil Disturbance Management Unit tasked to maintain peace and order if the massive rally pushes through.
Aside from the opposition, students, religious and labor groups and some party-list groups will participate in the rally to condemn the Arroyo Government to alleviate a majority of the Filipino people from poverty.
"The way it looks to us, this is a desperate move by the opposition groups," Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said at a press briefing.
He added that the government has no plans of stopping the mass action because the President believes and respects freedom of speech.
But Bunye reminded the protesters to exercise self-discipline and police their own ranks.
Bunye maintained that the "no permit, no rally" policy would be enforced even as he gave assurances of maximum tolerance by the police during the Labor Day protest action.
Presidential candidate Panfilo Lacson, on the other hand, warned against joining the move, saying this might further destabilize the country.
"I support it, but it might lead to something else. That is my worry. It's 18 days to go before elections, so we should just wait for it," Lacson said.
"There's a need to inform the people on the misuse of funds. There are many ways to inform the public, such as in campaign sorties and through press statements," he added.
As this developed, Senate Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan said groups that want to destabilize the government might take advantage of the rally, while reelectionist Sen. Rodolfo Biazon said political instability would cause a downfall of the economy.
"While we believe in the right to peaceful assembly, the leaders of the planned May 1 rally against President Arroyo should think twice before going to the streets at this time," Pangilinan said.
Instead, he said, the candidates should focus on delivering their platform of government so that they can secure votes from the people.
Pangilinan also said candidates proposing the huge rally should look out for the welfare of their followers instead of holding a rally that would become a security nightmare.
Biazon said that anyone can go to Edsa provided that their gatherings are legitimate and are related to sectoral concerns, like wage hike for state workers and teachers and subsidies for farmers.
But if the rally would be on political controversies and personal attacks, it would lead to instability, the senator said.
On the other hand, opposition Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. assured that the rally would be peaceful and a legitimate expression of the people's grievances.
Meanwhile, the militant group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) Thursday staged a picket at the office of Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-National Capital Region (RTWPB-NCR) in Manila for refusing to allow an increase in wages.
"Wage hikes based on industries is possible only if capitalists are willing to give economic relief to their employees. Up to now, big businesses represented by the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (Ecop) are rigid on their position in keeping wages untouched," said the KMU in a press statement.
The KMU also said President Arroyo should review her information on domestic labor statistics.
"The President talks as if she doesn't know the actual condition of Filipino workers... Local call center agents are actually underpaid compared to their counterparts abroad," they said.
The labor group is pressing for a P125 across-the-board wage relief for all workers nationwide.(JPM/JMR of Sunnex Luzon)
It is also set to lead a mass action on May 1 in commemoration of Labor Day.
(April 23, 2004 issue)
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Ecleo, on bail, flies to Manila