Militants to use ingenuity at anti-SONA rallies

Militant organizations will tweak their ingenuity to ensure that their collective voice will be heard during President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday. In response to the police’s plan to use water cannons against protesters, members of the militant group Bayan Muna said it has constructed a water-resistant effigy of President Arroyo made entirely of styrofoam. The group said unlike the usual carton-made effigies of the President they made in the past, the image that will be used on Monday will be able to withstand the battering of the water cannons. The effigy will be placed in a garbage can to signify the group’s call for the government to junk moves to amend the 1987 Philippine Constitution. The group also urged students to take part in the SONA rallies, which are expected to draw participants all over the Metro who would be converging near the St. Peter Parish along Commonwealth Avenue. Bayan Muna’s effigy, despite being water-proof, would be dwarfed by another effigy being prepared by cultural group UGAT-Lahi Artists’ Collective, and Musicians for Peace. With the aim of doing things big, the group said it would parade a 12-foot effigy – the biggest so far – depicting a "rotten" and "worm-filled" Mrs. Arroyo that would be called “Rotten Gloria." UGAT-Lahi on Thursday staged a lightning rally at the foot of the historic Don Chino Roces (former Mendiola) Bridge in Manila. Bomb suit The Quezon City Police District (QCPD), meanwhile, has turned to technology to combat possible terrorist attacks on Monday, by using what it claimed as a bomb-proof suit. By wearing what is called a “Level-5 bomb suit," a bomb disposal unit trooper can literally survive an explosion, the police said. The protective wear would be used by police guarding the Batasan Pambansa Complex, where Mrs. Arroyo would be delivering her speech. The suit comes complete with an X-ray device to help law enforcers detect any explosive devices that might be planted near the Batasan. The suit was shown to media Thursday during a bomb explosion simulation conducted by the QCPD outside the same complex, where a powerful explosion killed several people including Basilan Rep. Wahab Akbar in November 2007. Chief Superintendent Elmo San Diego, QCPD director, said some 6,000 policemen would be deployed to secure a peaceful conduct of the rallies on Monday along Commonwealth Avenue and other areas in Metro Manila. The Commission on Human Rights would be deploying six teams, made up of lawyers and a medical staff, to monitor the situation throughout the entire stretch of the demonstrations, which would last until 6 p.m. Monday. - GMANews.TV