Oust-Gloria move snowballing
Saturday, 11 23, 2002
Larger numbers have come together to form a people's group that claims they are determined to work for President Arroyo's ouster.
Some 1.7 million out of a strong 2.5 million members belonging to East Pacific "AAA" Foundation Inc. with offices in Makati City and nationwide have signified interest in joining the move to oust Mrs. Arroyo on grounds of incompetence, specially on the mismanagement of the country's economy.
The group said it no longer believes Mrs. Arroyo can lead the country's economic recovery.
These signatories pledged to join the massive rallies that are being planned before Christmas, to ensure her ouster.
Part of the move of this group is for it to join the huge crowd that is scheduled to attend a three-day prayer vigil before Christmas.
They are scheduled to march from Luneta to Mendiola to air their long-standing sentiments against the government's inability to install immediately programs to ease the suffering and the plight of the Filipino people, specially in their economic dislocation.
The group said the poor are the most affected and become direct victims of an unstable economy and incompetent governance as they are being deprived of attaining a better life as the poor are denied even a measly income.
Andrew Gonzales, spokesman of the group, said simultaneous rallies will be conducted in Davao, Palawan, Cebu, Negros, Iloilo, Samar and other parts of the country.
Demonstrators from the North and South Luzon area including Metro Manila will gather at Mendiola.
Sometime last April and May 2002, the members of the Bagong Lahing Pilipino Foundation represented by Anthony Martin served letters of proposal for national economic recovery to the Supreme Court and both houses of Congress, but this was reportedly ignored by these agencies, as no measures have been taken to address the issues aired in the letter.
Martin said as the people have been ignored, people will now take their fight to the streets , uniting with other groups and together call for the ouster of Mrs. Arroyo even as they say they will also turn to prayers for God to intervene.
Reports also say that another strong religious groups commonly identified as worshipers through the Sacrifice Valley and the group of El Shaddai will join some rallies that will seek the ouster of Arroyo or at the rallies demanding reforms in the Arroyo' administration.
The rallies, they threatened, may lead to the forcible ouster of Mrs. Arroyo, in what they see as a reprise of the ouster of detained President Joseph Estrada.
A panicky Malacaņang reportedly called the foundation and promised to send an emissary for reconciliatory discussions last Monday.
Gonzales said they agreed to hold off the rallies due to the promised discussion with the Palace emissary. However, the Malacanang promise was broken, since there was no one from the Palace that showed up. Alley Tampus
