AFP brass raise Reds, terror bogeys: Ex President and Senate President to Join the Rally

AFP brass raise Reds, terror bogeys : Ex President and Senate President to Join the Rally

Manila---THE Armed Forces warned on Wednesday that leftists and terrorists could try to infiltrate the scheduled Sunday mammoth protest prayer rally against Charter change and other planned demonstrations.

Acoording to news sources from Manila, AFP chief, Gen. Her­mogenes Esperon Jr., aired the warning as Mayor Jejomar Binay of Makati announced that many corporations would let their workers out on Friday to join a human chain against Cha-cha on Ayala Avenue in the country’s financial district.

Following a meeting to Armed Forces brass, Esperon said the military is not discounting the possibility that armed groups would try to exploit civil unrest. He mentioned the New People’s Army and the Rajah Solaiman Movement, a Muslim underground group allegedly part of the extremist Jemaah Islamiah network.

“We want to preclude some vested forces from exploiting that [prayer] rally to their own designs,” Esperon said, explaining the command conference.

“These are terrorist armed groups that would want to supplant democracy with communism . . . we want to preclude these. We are getting reports and we are validating these,” Esperon said.

Besides possible “bombing” attacks, the NPA might try to infiltrate the ranks of the ralliers and agitate some of the rally participants, Espe­ron said.

“Explosions could be one of the sabotage acts . . . the peaceful rally could turn otherwise,” said Esperon: “Once a peaceful rally is provoked to be agitated . . . it can be dangerous.”

Esperon said that they have already placed their forces in Metro Manila on standby and ready to provide the necessary support to the Philippine National Police.

Stay away

The PNP, meanwhile, reiterated earlier Malacañang warnings for cops to stay away from the protest action.

PNP Director General Oscar Calderon advised cops, “Kung mag-o-observe sila [police officers] ng religious act, sa simbahan na lang. Huwag nang makisali doon. [If they are going to observe a religious act, they should go to the church instead. They should not take part in the rally.]”

As for some 4,300 police officers who have been tapped for deployment to the Quirino Grandstand, the PNP chief said that they can attend the religious rites without necessarily joining the rally, which will be spearheaded by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, the El Shaddai Group, Bro. Eddie Villanueva’s Jesus Is Lord Movement, the National Union of Churches, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, the Catholic Education Association of the Philippines, and other religious groups.

Militant organizations, business groups and civil libertarians, led by former President Corazon C. Aquino, are also joining the protest action.

Dying down?

Senate President Manuel Villar said on Wednesday that he might join the Luneta mass action.

Villar said the people have every right to express their sentiments against the move to amend the 1987 Constitution as long as they don’t resort to violence.

He expressed confidence that the prayer rally on Sunday will be a peaceful gathering that the Arroyo administration need not fear.

Meanwhile, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves belittled reports that unrest could do big damage to the Philippine economy.

The finance chief, in a telephone interview with The Manila Times, said he believed the furor over Charter change was dying down following the House of Representatives’ decision to shift from a constituent assembly to a constitutional convention.

“I think there are more factors outside of politics that could affect the country’s [economic] growth, for example the recent typhoon. The damages the typhoon have done would probably have a larger implication,” Teves said.

He added that international businessmen did not seem concerned with the anti-Cha-cha protests.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration advised those who would be attending the prayer rally to bring umbrellas because there was forecast of rain due to a low-pressure area that could enter the country as well as cloud bands.


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