The junction of Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas in Makati City is swamped by a sea of humanity as thousands of people from all walks of life and political persuasions converge for an interfaith rally to press for the ouster of Pres Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for alleged corruption in her administration. AFP
Aquino, Erap call for truth and Arroyo resignation
Former Presidents Corazon Aquino and Joseph Estrada on Friday addressed the thousands who had gathered in an interfaith rally in the country’s central business district calling for an end to corruption and also for President Arroyo’s resignation.
Aquino urged the people to continue praying since "God is the one who can help us in these times."
Aquino said she thought she was too old to be involved in political activities, but added the times call for everyone to fight deception and to be involved for truth.
"Akala ko po, tapos na ang aking gawain dahil ang tanda ko na rin po. Kanya lamang, ito ang hinihingi ng panahon na lahat tayo magkaisa upang matapos na itong paglilinlang sa atin at ng malaman na natin ang katotohanan," she said.
Estrada took a dig at Mrs. Arroyo by saying she was "overstaying."
"Alam niyo naman, understaying ako, two-and-a-half years lang. E yung under po, overstaying na. Anong kailangan pag overstaying?" he said, and the crowd responded by saying Arroyo should resign.
He thanked the protesters for standing up for truth.
"’Wag tayong magsasawang ipaglaban po ang katotohanan at ang katarungan," he said.
Calls for truth and Arroyo resignation
The interfaith rally was organized by religious groups, students, business groups and left-wing organizations.
Other personalities seen at the rally include former Vice-President Teofisto Guingona, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, Novaliches Bishop Teodoro Bacani, Lingayen-Dagupan Bishop Oscar Cruz, veteran actress and singer Armida Siguion-Reyna, evangelist Bro. Eddie Villanueva. Whistleblower Rodolfo Noel "Jun"Lozada also attended the rally.
Police estimated the crowd at 15,000 as of 4:30 pm. Organizers claimed 75,000 joined the rally, which had as its theme "Manindigan para sa Katotohanan, Katarungan at Pagbabago".
The unity of these groups is "unprecedented," said Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) chief Renato Reyes said. "This is be the biggest show of force, the strongest message of rejection of President Arroyo."
"Hopefully, it will pave the way for bigger actions in the future. And this will somehow strengthen unity of various groups," he said.
"It’s an interesting marriage of various political and church groups," said Leah Navarro of the Black and White Movement.
"Today’s rally will show that at least there are people and other sectors that are now more interested in what's going on. Business may have been sympathetic before, but now they're all out. The students have been awakened from deep sleep," she said.
Many of these groups, she said, called on President Estrada to resign in 2001.
Some members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, which earlier agreed not to call on President Arroyo’s resignation, also joined the interfaith rally.
"What we’re calling for is for the truth to come out," said Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iniguez.
Manuel V. Pangilinan, businessman and chairman of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, was also seen at the rally.
Security was tight with around 5,000 police deployed and soldiers on standby.
Prelude to bigger activities
Despite the crowd size, analysts said President Arroyo will weather the latest scandal over alleged kickbacks in a government telecoms deal with China's ZTE Corp.
"The political opposition has been relentless in trying to hunt down President Arroyo for some time. They have not had any success in reality, but that won't stop them from doing it," said Mark Condon of risk consultancy Pacific Strategies & Assessments.
"I would certainly expect the political noise to continue."
Public cynicism over another "People Power" uprising as well as the President's careful courting of the military and the lower house of Congress is also helping Mrs. Arroyo's hold on power.
Earlier this week, the powerful Catholic Church stopped short of calling for her resignation, taking the wind out of the opposition's sails.
Investors have largely shrugged off the political noise in Manila, helping the main stock index to finish up 0.55 percent on Friday in contrast to regional losses.
Although the organizers agreed that today’s rally will not make President Arroyo resign, they said that it is only a prelude to bigger activities in the future.
"Not yet," said Reyes. "That is not really the objective of today’s rally. We are coming together [today] to call for change," he said.
"If this will be successful, the unity of various groups will be strengthened," Reyes said.
"We're not expecting her to resign because of the rally. It's too much to ask for," said Alberto Lim, executive director of the Makati Business Club (MBC) "It’s a slow process of building up."
EDSA I "took two and half years," Lim said. "It won't take one rally. We veterans know we have to walk much more," he said.
"It is not a deterrent to us [knowing that President Arroyo will not resign today]," Reyes said.
But today’s inter-faith rally won’t be the last said lawyer Feliciano Bautista, Integrated Bar of the Philippines said.
Bautista recalled how people also did not expect former dictator Ferdinand Marcos and former president Joseph Estrada to step down from office.
"You can never tell. She may come into discernment," Bautista said.
Well-organized
Bautista said various committees were set up for rally. BAYAN was in Ayala Avenue as early as Friday morning to set up the stage. Other groups prepared the program, sound
system, and the positions where groups will march from.
Some were assigned as marshals to guard against "saboteurs" that will try to join them, organizers said.
Former president Corazon Aquino, the La Salle-60, Hyatt-10, and business groups including Makati Business Club started from the Asian Institute of Management in Paseo De Roxas. The United Opposition marched from the Makati Fire Station.
Students and professors from the University of the Philippines marched from a street near Makati Shangri-La.
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