Pro and anti-Arroyo rallies peaceful during SONA

President Arroyo’s opponents staged their biggest protest rally yet yesterday, mustering some 40,000 people on the streets hours before her State of the Nation Address (SONA), police said.

All major roads leading to the Batasan Pambansa complex in Quezon City were blocked and traffic rerouted. The House of Representatives’ security was reinforced with steel containers, concrete blocks and barbed wire.

Shipping containers, fire engines and garbage trucks were also used to block the crowd that police estimated at 40,000 from marching down Commonwealth Avenue to the Batasan complex a few kilometers away.

About 6,000 riot police, backed by 1,000 soldiers, were deployed in the area to keep the protesters away.

Some 5,000 pro-Arroyo rallyists converged at the area between the Sandiganbayan and Commission on Audit (COA) along Commonwealth Avenue to prove that not all Filipinos seek Mrs. Arroyo’s ouster.

But leftist groups dominated the crowd, waving banners saying: "Resign, Gloria," "Oust Gloria now" and "Enemy of the Workers: Gloria."

One banner called for the resignation of all top government officials. The protesters also carried effigies of the President, Vice President Noli de Castro, Senate President Franklin Drilon and Speaker Jose de Venecia.

The protesters also set up scattered, makeshift stages down the stretch of Commonwealth Avenue, each one carrying its own anti-Arroyo message.

The protesters tore down metal railings dividing the boulevard, but police did not intervene.

Police and the military were on alert outside the Batasan complex. At least one armored vehicle was parked outside the main gates, and trucks with anti-riot Air Force personnel were deployed to guard against any violence.

At the rally, a taped song blared from speakers mounted on trucks: "Fake president, your days are numbered."

On one truck, activists put up a mosaic picture of Mrs. Arroyo with a presidential seal that read: "Fake President of the Philippines."

Generally peaceful

The Philippine National Police said the protests during the SONA were generally peaceful, though PNP chief Director General Arturo Lomibao ordered members of the Civil Disturbance Management (CDM) division not to leave their posts until the streets were clear of protesters.

PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil said Lomibao’s order to the CDM personnel was "first in, last out."

Bataoil credited the peaceful and orderly proceedings to the cooperation of the police, local government units and protesters, whom he said kept their ranks intact and prevented infiltration by unscrupulous elements.

At least 100 riot police personnel from the Eastern Police District (EPD) were deployed to the boundary of San Mateo town, Rizal and Marikina City to prevent protesters from using the "backdoor" route to the Batasan Pambansa complex.

Instead of confronting the protesters, however, the EPD riot police encountered a heavy influx of VIPs rushing to the Batasan Pambansa.

"We did not encounter a single rallyist, so what we did was secure the roads from Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City to the boundary of San Mateo town to speed up the flow of traffic," EPD director Chief Superintendent Oscar Valenzuela said.

Valenzuela also said he assigned 500 police officers to secure the EDSA Shrine in Mandaluyong City, adding that "there were no sightings of rallyists at the EDSA Shrine so my men were seen walking around the establishment talking to each other."

In San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan, 60 people riding four public utility jeepneys were held by police after 10 pillbox bombs were found in their possession during a regular checkpoint inspection.

Central Luzon police director Chief Superintendent Alejandro Lapinid said the group was apparently on its way to the rally at the Batasan Pambansa complex.

Lapinid said streamers and placards apparently prepared for the SONA protests by the militant Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) were confiscated from the group.

The rallyists, mostly men and teenagers, were from the towns of San Miguel and San Rafael.

San Jose del Monte police chief Superintendent Pedro Ramos said his men were manning a checkpoint near the boundary of Bulacan and Caloocan City when they intercepted the group.

Ramos said a fifth jeepney laden with possible protesters sped off when they saw uniformed police officers checking the four other vehicles.

Had the pillboxes been thrown into the crowds of protesters, "that would have been chaotic," Bataoil said.

Dearth of support for education

Among the protesters were thousands of students and public school teachers who participated in rallies in different parts of Metro Manila, militant youths and teachers said in separate statements yesterday.

The militant youths estimated that about 10,000 students participated in the protests.

Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) president Antonio Tinio said in a text message to the media that there were 1,000 public school teachers in Metro Manila among the protesters.

Raymond Palatino, spokesperson for Youth Demanding Arroyo’s Removal (YOUTH DARE), said the SONA rally may yet prove to be the biggest demonstration participated in this year by youth and students nationwide.

Students from San Sebastian College, San Beda College, University of Santo Tomas, Far Eastern University, University of the East—Recto campus, Miriam College, De La Salle University-Manila, St. Scholastica’s College, Philippine Normal University, Philippine Maritime Institute, Ateneo de Manila and Philippine School for Business and the Arts were present at the Youth March.

High school students also participated in the protest, as well as out-of-school and urban poor youth and young professionals, Palatino said.

Instead of providing education for all, Mrs. Arroyo’s present thrust for education drives more and more students out of school each year, Lapinid said.

Neglecting health

Around 200 health workers and hospital personnel joined the protests against the President, saying health services in the country will continue to deteriorate because public service is no longer a government priority.

Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) information officer Jenny Manuel said the Arroyo administration is more focused now on keeping the president in power, rather than addressing the worsening health situation.

Manuel also clarified that health workers did not abandon their hospital and clinic duties during the rallies because "the sick people need us. It’s a good thing that there’s no work today so those (doing) administrative work are able to attend the rally. Others filed for vacation or took a day off."

The militant AHW has been demanding a P3,000 across-the-board raise in salary, saying health workers can no longer afford the rising costs of food and basic services: "Health workers are overworked but underpaid. We hope the government could attend to this. The President should give priority to health." — Sandy Araneta, Sheila Crisostomo, Non Alquitran, Cecille Suerte Felipe, AFP and AP