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Friday, July 22, 2005
Roces joins rally, woos Dabawenyos
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO CITY -- Actress Susan Roces is reportedly courting several politicians in the region, among them Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, to support the opposition's call for the ouster of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
No less than the widow of the late Fernando Poe Jr. confirmed Thursday in a television interview that she is set to have a dinner with Duterte that evening. The dinner meeting was, however, denied by Duterte's camp saying the mayor is busy with other commitments.
In a brief speech during Thursday's launching of anti-Arroyo movement CD-Truth at Garden Oases, Roces thanked Dabawenyos for their support.
She also thanked Duterte for allowing them to hold a rally in Davao City and securing her stay.
Roces was accompanied by party-list representatives Satur Ocampo and Joel Virador and local personalities, including former mayor Benjamin de Guzman, Councilors Bonifacio Militar and Angela Librado-Trinidad, former councilor Luz Ilagan, businessmen Leo Magno and Demetriou Roy Lopez, lawyers Isagani Carlos Zarate and Ralph Jude Yap.
"Mahirap ibalik and tiwala pag nawala na," said a calm Roces referring to the people's eroded trust in the Arroyo administration.
Roces also attended Thursday's grand rally at the Rizal Park participated in by thousands of Dabawenyos calling for Arroyo's resignation.
The grand rally was organized by the United Opposition, Bangon Pilipinas of Bro. Eddie Villanueva, Aksyon Demokratiko of Raul Roco, Bayan Muna, Gloria Step Down Movement and all other groups seeking for Arroyo's ouster.
Thursday's rally was said to be just an initial salvo for bigger mass actions next week.
From July 24 to 27, the same groups will be staging nationwide rallies in time for the Arroyo's state of the nation address on July 25.
In Davao City, organizers expect 10,000-15,000 protesters coming from all over the region to join the four-day rally.
Juland Suazo of Bayan Southern Mindanao said this is to show to the people that contrary to claims of the supporters of Arroyo in the region, Mindanaoans also clamor for the president's resignation.
As their counter-action to last week's Mindanao Political Leaders' Summit, Suazo said they held a Mindanao Grassroots Leaders' Conference Thursday at the Garden Oases attended by people's organizations, religious leaders, professionals and all the other sectors.
They also had a Mindanao launching of the Gloria Step Down Movement (GSM) Thursday, which is a broad coalition network of groups and organizations calling for Arroyo's ouster or resignation.
House Majority Leader Prospero Nograles, however, said that majority of the Filipinos still want Arroyo to remain in office.
"We have to qualify, minority in these areas want Gloria to resign. Majority do not. Besides in Davao City, Gloria won only by less than 3,000 votes so there are opposition loyalists here especially leftist militants. But most elected officials remain with Gloria," Nograles said. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
(July 22, 2005 issue)
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