Thousands of protesters marched to the EDSA People Power Monument on Wednesday and called for the ouster of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. “President Arroyo symbolizes the system that people power has rejected. Like Marcos, she used the military to rig the elections, coerce her political foes and enchain the freedom we painstakingly fought for," said Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel. Among the groups that marched to EDSA were the Laban ng Masa, Akbayan, No to Concon, Black & White Movement, and Anak Mindanao. They also called for the rejection of the proposed changes of the 1987 Constitution. Some of the marchers, many carrying red banners and streamers, came from the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Batangas, Quezon, Laguna and Mindoro Oriental. “There is no reason to celebrate…The throne still is rotten," said Francisco Nemenzo, Laban ng Masa chairman and former president of the University of the Philippines. The first People Power revolt ousted former dictator Ferdinand Marcos and swept into power former president Corazon Aquino on Feb. 22, 1986. Filipinos earned worldwide acclaim for the bloodless revolt. A similar uprising catapulted Mrs. Arroyo into power on Jan. 21, 2001. Amid calls for her ouster, Mrs. Arroyo on Tuesday said nothing would make her resign. “I am the best person to lead the nation," she said. Organizers of Wednesday’s protest march pegged the crowd at 35,000, but the police said only 3,000 to 4,000 people took part in the protest. UNNECESSARY Tension grew Wednesday afternoon when anti-riot policemen blocked the marchers on their way to the People Power monument. The police allowed the protesters to march to the monument after negotiating with rally organizers. “The police’s actions were unnecessary and uncalled for as we commemorate a historic event," Baraquel told GMANews.TV. GMANews.TV tried to get the side of the Philippine National Police but repeated calls to the office of Chief Supt. Leopoldo Bataoil, PNP spokesman, produced no result. Director Vidal Querol of the National Capital Region Police Office earlier warned protesters they would be dispersed if they refused to leave the People Power monument. PROTEST SEASON The march Wednesday was the latest in a series of anti-Arroyo protests nationwide. Earlier this week, Akbayan president Ronald Llamas urged Filipinos to mark the 20th anniversary of the first People Power revolt through civil disobedience. Llamas said Arroyo’s illegitimate presidency has worsened the political crisis in the country. Akbayan, Laban ng Masa and other groups have been proposing the establishment of a transitional revolutionary government, which they said would bring “genuine social change, not just regime change." COUP RUMORS Rumors of a plot to oust Mrs. Arroyo are feeble attempts by her opponents to grab attention and destabilize the country, Malacañang said Wednesday. "Our people are wise to the spread of coup rumors and black propaganda as feeble attempts of a disgruntled, unproductive few to grab public attention through the media," Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye said in a statement. "But still, we call on the media to exercise vigilance against rebels and insurgents who wish to cause our people harm through destabilization and by spreading wild rumors across the airwaves," he said. Last week, Arroyo met with top military officials to discuss security threats, including a reported coup plot against the administration by disgruntled soldiers. OLD COUPS Former Senator Gregorio Honasan said the country still needs the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM), his group of senior and junior military officers that mounted several coup attempts during the presidency of Corazon Aquino. "My brothers and sisters, our country calls us again from our comfort zones. Our country needs the RAM We must do this as we tried to do in 1986," Honasan said. Honasan said solutions to the country's lingering woes could be done through public dialogue. Speaking at the reunion of RAM members, he said there has to be an “imaginative use" of people power. "As we all believed for the last 20 years that people power is not obsolete; people power is very much alive. People power, like the truth, is unstoppable," Honasan said. In an interview with reporters, he said public dialogues were meant to "address our real problems" and not to agitate the people to turn against the government. He said any effort to effect change should be done through "peaceful and sober" means. Honasan evaded questions on whether he supports the cause of the still defiant Magdalo group of soldiers that staged the short-lived Oakwood mutiny in 2003, although he admitted that he "identifies" with their desire for reforms. PLOT DISCOVERED The military on Wednesday claimed it crippled a destabilization plot by some rouge soldiers. The Armed Forces of the Philippines said it invited for interrogation at least 14 AFP officials who were allegedly involved in a plot to topple the Arroyo administration. Army chief Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon said charges may be filed against the military officials. Esperon said some of the officials were allowed to the return to their place of assignments because “we are confident they are with us, leading their men faithfully in operations." Esperon said the military discovered a document titled “The Last Revolution," which is envisioned to outline the bases of operations of destabilizers for the establishment of a revolutionary government that will work under the so-called National Recovery Program. “(The revolutionary government) will be headed…by a junta composed of military men and other nominees," said Esperon. Esperon said follow-up operations led to the discovery of the “final coordinating conference" of Oplan Hackle on January 14 in a Makati City hotel. The operation plan was supposed to be implemented from January 20 to January 21. EDSA BIGWIGS Several personalities calling for the resignation of Mrs. Arroyo held a meeting at the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City on Wednesday. Among those who attended the meeting were former president Corazon Aquino, El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde, and members of the Makati Business Club. Three former Cabinet officials -- Jesus Estanislao, Roberto de Ocampo and Cesar Purisima -- were also present. The group refused to disclose the agenda of the meeting. PESO WEAKENS The peso weakened as anti-Arroyo protesters marched to EDSA on Wednesday. The currency closed weaker at P51.875 against the dollar Wednesday as share prices closed at 8.93 points or .43 percent at 2,067.88. The peso opened at P51.78 and traded against the greenback between P51.66 and P51.875. The Philippine Stocks Exchange reported that Phisix All Shares, Financials, Industrial, Property and Services sub-indices dipped while Holding firms and Mining & oil indices advanced. - with reports from GMANews.TV, INQ7.net
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