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Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Anti-Arroyo protesters gather in financial district
MANILA (Updated, 3:20 p.m.)-- Thousands of protesters have began gathering at the intersection of Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas Street in Makati City for a rally initiated by the opposition and militant groups to press President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to resign over allegations of poll fraud.
Malacanang was quick to assure that the government and law enforcement authorities are prepared to deal with the big rally against President Arroyo. Police and the military went on heightened alert warning of possible attacks on the protesters by Muslim extremists and communist rebels.
Rally organizers said the demonstration in Manila's financial district of Makati would unite a broad spectrum of opposition groups and parties in the biggest show of force since the political crisis erupted last month over allegations that Arroyo rigged the May 2004 election and her family received illegal gambling payoffs.
The opposition has billed the rally as the "biggest ever" against the Arroyo administration.
Police expect 12,000 people to join the protest action but the opposition said they hope to gather 50,000 individuals.
The rally will gauge public sentiment and show if the opposition can muster enough support to oust her in a "people power" revolt similar to the one that removed longtime dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and Joseph Estrada, Arroyo's immediate predecessor, in 2001.
Left-wing groups and supporters of Estrada - who has volunteered to serve as a transitional leader if Arroyo is ousted - said they expected about 40,000 people. The largest opposition protest so far has gathered up to 8,000 people.
About 6,000 police, including units from nearby 1,000 soldiers in charge of security for the Philippine capital, said metropolitan Manila police chief Vidal Querol.
He said officials were concerned that communist "infiltrators" would create trouble, recalling the bombing of a political rally in 1971 that killed nine people and wounded dozens.
The military in Manila also went on alert late Tuesday, citing "possible threats" from communist rebels and the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group "who may take advantage of the current political situation and conduct terrorist acts," said Capt. Ramon Zagala.
Meanwhile, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said in a press conference in the Palace that the National Capital Region Police Office of the Philippine National Police (PNP) is on top of situation.
Asked about the attendance of actress Susan Roces, widow of the late former opposition presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr., at the rally at 6 p.m., Ermita said they believe that Roces will call on the protestors to keep their protest action peaceful and that her presence will surely attract more people to attend the activity.
The government expects the rally organizers to keep the rally peaceful and orderly.
Ermita at the same time denied that the government is preventing supporters of the opposition from provinces outside of Metro Manila from joining the rally.
He said the opposition should not take it against the government and law enforcement agencies from implementing rules and conducting checkpoints as precautionary measures to thwart terror groups from taking advantage of the rally.
On buses taken by the protestors, for example, Ermita said land transportation operatives are checking if the buses are plying outside of their assigned routes.
Ermita said the checkpoints, on the other hand, are meant to prevent terrorists and communist rebels from entering Metro Manila and infiltrating the ranks of the protestors. |
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