‘Arroyo welcome to join rally’ – Malaya 12.16.2006

BY GERARD NAVAL AND ASHZEL HACHERO

ORGANIZERS of Sunday’s prayer rally at the Quirino Grandstand yesterday said President Arroyo and her administration allies can come to the gathering but they will not be answerable for the public’s reaction to their presence.

As a prelude to the Sunday rally, workers from Makati’s financial district joined militant labor groups yesterday in condemning administration-led efforts to railroad amendments to the Constitution.

At least 500 members of the militant group Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino and about 200 from the National Union of Bank Employees gathered at the foot of the Ninoy Aquino Monument on Ayala avenue.

A human chain was formed in front of the Aquino monument.

Except for former senators Ernesto Maceda and Ernesto Herrera, no other prominent opposition figures attended the rally.

Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, president of the United Opposition, was not at the rally which was initiated by the National Union of Bank Employees.

The rally participants dispersed around 7 p.m., about an hour after the program started.

At the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines office in Intramuros, rally coordinator Henrietta de Villa said they welcome the presence of Arroyo, Speaker Jose de Venecia and the others who were pushing for amendments to the Constitution.

"As we said before, yung panawagan ay para sa lahat. Whether you are a pro- or anti-Cha-cha. It does not matter. The gathering is a prayer rally and not a political one. We urge those who will attend to shed their identities for the sole purpose of praying for the country," De Villa, former ambassador to the Vatican, said.

De Villa said the prayer rally is "for everyone" who wants to attend and join the CBCP’s call to "watch and pray" for the country.

The CBCP organized the rally in protest against moves to railroad amendments to the Constitution. Early this week, allies of the the House, led by De Venecia, dropped constituent assembly as mode of amending the charter, and shifted to a constitutional convention.

The CBCP is of the position that if there is a need to amend the charter, it should be through a Constitutional Convention, the mode preferred by senators.
Even after De Venecia’s turnaround, the CBCP said it was pushing through with the rally to pray for the enlightenment of the country’s leaders.

On Thursday, President Arroyo conceded that the time is not ripe for charter change. She said it is up to the people to decide on when and in what manner political reforms should be undertaken.

THANKSGIVING

Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, CBCP president, said the Sunday gathering is "not just a rally against Con-Ass and Cha-cha" but a rally for the country.

He said moves to "hastily" change the Constitution is only among a number of crises that have to be solved, "together with the need for genuine electoral reform."

"The Con-Con can, therefore, be placed in the list of priorities, arranged according to importance and urgency. Haste must be avoided; because haste makes waste," he said in a statement.

Lagdameo said God has answered His flock’s prayers "even before we directly addressed it to him."

"And so the Prayer Rallies of Petition is now converted into Prayer Rallies of Thanksgiving. God has heard our un-articulated prayer. He loves the Philippines. He has converted our crisis-laden situation into Kairos, a moment of grace. Let us give thanks to God and exalt him above the heavens," he said.

Lagdameo said simultaneous rallies were held yesterday in dioceses that had not been able to adjust their schedules to the new rally date. The rallies were held in the dioceses of Novaliches, Quezon City; Infanta, Quezon; Negros; Capiz; Iloilo; Cebu; Kidapawan; Marbel, South Cotabato; Ozamis City; Digos; Malolos, Bulacan; Balanga, Bataan; and Cavite.

SCORCHING EVENT

Senate President Manuel Villar said Arroyo’s decision to shelve the Cha-cha "for the moment" doused cold water on an otherwise expected heated religious activity, which political analysts claimed could end up in her ouster from Malacañang.

"The President’s announcement (on Thursday) helped prevent what might be a scorching event, literally and figuratively," he told an interview with dzBB radio.
Villar said the rally goes beyond charter change or constituent assembly.

"Whether or not Con-Ass will push through is not an issue here. It’s a prayer rally, right? Hindi naman porke ibinasura na ang Con-Ass, hindi na tayo magdarasal," Villar said.

Senate majority leader Francis Pangilinan said while he supports the rally, he would rather not show up.

"Iiwas na lang ako para walang masabi ang mga alyado ng Pangulo na hinahaluan ng pulitika o sinasakyan ng mga pulitiko ang prayer rally," he said.

But he encouraged the public to join the rally to express their opposition to Cha-cha.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Malacañang and its allies should not expect the rally to fizzle out just because President Arroyo got off the "Cha-cha" train.

"The real agenda of Mrs. Arroyo and her allies in ‘shelving’ Cha-cha is to discourage people from joining the rally. But they are mistaken. The bigger picture is that this rally is a message to the government that the people will not tolerate abuses, which started from scandals like ‘Hello Garci,’ the P728-million fertilizer scam, and other instances of abusing the people’s intelligence," he said.

BRAZEN DISREGARD

Lacson also said Arroyo’s latest insult to the people’s intelligence came not too long ago when administration congressmen held three nightly caucuses with her to trigger the railroading of a resolution for a Con-Ass at the Lower House.

He said Arroyo again insulted the intelligence of the people when she issued a statement that now is not the right time for charter change, followed by statements from her spokesman and allies that there is no more reason to attend Sunday’s rally.

Lacson said the move of pro-administration congressmen to "fiercely and wildly" change the Constitution "threw all pretenses out the window" and showed a "brazen disregard for the rule of law," all just to comply with their master and mastermind’s instructions, he said.

Sen. Ralph Recto urged rally organizers to put up "collection points for aid donations to Bicol typhoon victims" in its Luneta venue.

He said this will blunt administration charges that the assembly is a gathering that will serve no purpose as Malacañang and the House have both called off their charter change charge.

MAN-MADE DISASTER

Injecting a "sub-theme of compassion" into the rally will also "silence policemen who have been throwing all kinds of threats…in a bid perhaps to dissuade people from attending it."

Recto said the rally "can both be an opportunity to say a prayer of thanks for stopping a man-made disaster that was Con-Ass and for seeking help for victims of a natural calamity."

"Let it be an occasion to heave a sigh of relief that Cha-cha was stopped and at the same time call for more relief to typhoon-hit areas," he said.

Recto said he was offering this unsolicited advice to rally organizers "so more people will go to Luneta once they see that there’s an expanded agenda, a theme that is more attuned to the season. Hindi naman maganda na Pasko na Cha-cha pa rin."

NEGROS RALLIES

More than 20,000 Negrenses participated in simultaneous Church-led prayer rallies in key five key cities of Negros Occidental and in Guihulngan, Oriental Negros, opposing what they call the "deceitful" manner in pushing for changes to the Constitution.

At least 10,000 gathered at the plaza of Bacolod, while 10,000 others also held similar activities in the cities of San Carlos, Kabankalan, Cadiz and Escalante, as well as in Guihulngan, according to Fr. Edwin Laude, director of the Social Action Center of the Diocese of San Carlos.

The rallies were spearheaded by Bacolod Bishop Vicente Gregorio and Kabankalan Bishop Patricio Buzon.

"We need to send a strong message to the powers that be – both the majority block in the House of Representatives and Malacañang – that the people have had enough of these brazen machinations," Navarra said.

"We need to say that we, the people, hold Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ultimately accountable for these insidious plots to alter the political order to benefit politicians and not the people," Navarra added.

CAUSE OF TROUBLE

In the Bacolod prayer rally, almost 60 to percent of the participants were students and those from middle-income families.
Navarra said: "I think Mrs. Gloria Arroyo is the cause of all these things and she should be sensible enough to step down, to give the Filipino people a chance to breath and to be free."

Fr. Anecito Buenafe, head of the Social Action Center of the Diocese of Bacolod, said the administration’s backtracking on Cha-cha showed that real power comes from the people.*

Rep. Ignacio Arroyo (Neg. Occ., 5th district) said while he still believes that constitutional reforms are needed to move the country forward, this may be can be done after the 2007 elections.

BIGGEST RALLY

In Cagayan de Oro, a multi-sectoral group said it was prepared to launch one of the biggest rallies in the city this year against moves to change the Constitution.
Cagayan de Oro Bishop Antonio Ledesma said the rally will be staged simultaneously with the rally in Manila.

Beverly Musni, a human rights lawyer-activist, said the groups Gabriela and Karapatan and other militant organizations in Northern Mindanao would join the Cagayan de Oro rally.

The opposition PDP-Laban will come in full force, said ex-mayor Pablo Magtajas, the party’s chairman for Cagayan de Oro. – ‘Arroyo welcome to join rally’ – Malaya 12.16.2006

BY GERARD NAVAL AND ASHZEL HACHERO

ORGANIZERS of Sunday’s prayer rally at the Quirino Grandstand yesterday said President Arroyo and her administration allies can come to the gathering but they will not be answerable for the public’s reaction to their presence.

As a prelude to the Sunday rally, workers from Makati’s financial district joined militant labor groups yesterday in condemning administration-led efforts to railroad amendments to the Constitution.

At least 500 members of the militant group Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino and about 200 from the National Union of Bank Employees gathered at the foot of the Ninoy Aquino Monument on Ayala avenue.

A human chain was formed in front of the Aquino monument.

Except for former senators Ernesto Maceda and Ernesto Herrera, no other prominent opposition figures attended the rally.

Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, president of the United Opposition, was not at the rally which was initiated by the National Union of Bank Employees.

The rally participants dispersed around 7 p.m., about an hour after the program started.

At the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines office in Intramuros, rally coordinator Henrietta de Villa said they welcome the presence of Arroyo, Speaker Jose de Venecia and the others who were pushing for amendments to the Constitution.

"As we said before, yung panawagan ay para sa lahat. Whether you are a pro- or anti-Cha-cha. It does not matter. The gathering is a prayer rally and not a political one. We urge those who will attend to shed their identities for the sole purpose of praying for the country," De Villa, former ambassador to the Vatican, said.

De Villa said the prayer rally is "for everyone" who wants to attend and join the CBCP’s call to "watch and pray" for the country.

The CBCP organized the rally in protest against moves to railroad amendments to the Constitution. Early this week, allies of the the House, led by De Venecia, dropped constituent assembly as mode of amending the charter, and shifted to a constitutional convention.

The CBCP is of the position that if there is a need to amend the charter, it should be through a Constitutional Convention, the mode preferred by senators.
Even after De Venecia’s turnaround, the CBCP said it was pushing through with the rally to pray for the enlightenment of the country’s leaders.

On Thursday, President Arroyo conceded that the time is not ripe for charter change. She said it is up to the people to decide on when and in what manner political reforms should be undertaken.

THANKSGIVING

Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, CBCP president, said the Sunday gathering is "not just a rally against Con-Ass and Cha-cha" but a rally for the country.

He said moves to "hastily" change the Constitution is only among a number of crises that have to be solved, "together with the need for genuine electoral reform."

"The Con-Con can, therefore, be placed in the list of priorities, arranged according to importance and urgency. Haste must be avoided; because haste makes waste," he said in a statement.

Lagdameo said God has answered His flock’s prayers "even before we directly addressed it to him."

"And so the Prayer Rallies of Petition is now converted into Prayer Rallies of Thanksgiving. God has heard our un-articulated prayer. He loves the Philippines. He has converted our crisis-laden situation into Kairos, a moment of grace. Let us give thanks to God and exalt him above the heavens," he said.

Lagdameo said simultaneous rallies were held yesterday in dioceses that had not been able to adjust their schedules to the new rally date. The rallies were held in the dioceses of Novaliches, Quezon City; Infanta, Quezon; Negros; Capiz; Iloilo; Cebu; Kidapawan; Marbel, South Cotabato; Ozamis City; Digos; Malolos, Bulacan; Balanga, Bataan; and Cavite.

SCORCHING EVENT

Senate President Manuel Villar said Arroyo’s decision to shelve the Cha-cha "for the moment" doused cold water on an otherwise expected heated religious activity, which political analysts claimed could end up in her ouster from Malacañang.

"The President’s announcement (on Thursday) helped prevent what might be a scorching event, literally and figuratively," he told an interview with dzBB radio.
Villar said the rally goes beyond charter change or constituent assembly.

"Whether or not Con-Ass will push through is not an issue here. It’s a prayer rally, right? Hindi naman porke ibinasura na ang Con-Ass, hindi na tayo magdarasal," Villar said.

Senate majority leader Francis Pangilinan said while he supports the rally, he would rather not show up.

"Iiwas na lang ako para walang masabi ang mga alyado ng Pangulo na hinahaluan ng pulitika o sinasakyan ng mga pulitiko ang prayer rally," he said.

But he encouraged the public to join the rally to express their opposition to Cha-cha.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Malacañang and its allies should not expect the rally to fizzle out just because President Arroyo got off the "Cha-cha" train.

"The real agenda of Mrs. Arroyo and her allies in ‘shelving’ Cha-cha is to discourage people from joining the rally. But they are mistaken. The bigger picture is that this rally is a message to the government that the people will not tolerate abuses, which started from scandals like ‘Hello Garci,’ the P728-million fertilizer scam, and other instances of abusing the people’s intelligence," he said.

BRAZEN DISREGARD

Lacson also said Arroyo’s latest insult to the people’s intelligence came not too long ago when administration congressmen held three nightly caucuses with her to trigger the railroading of a resolution for a Con-Ass at the Lower House.

He said Arroyo again insulted the intelligence of the people when she issued a statement that now is not the right time for charter change, followed by statements from her spokesman and allies that there is no more reason to attend Sunday’s rally.

Lacson said the move of pro-administration congressmen to "fiercely and wildly" change the Constitution "threw all pretenses out the window" and showed a "brazen disregard for the rule of law," all just to comply with their master and mastermind’s instructions, he said.

Sen. Ralph Recto urged rally organizers to put up "collection points for aid donations to Bicol typhoon victims" in its Luneta venue.

He said this will blunt administration charges that the assembly is a gathering that will serve no purpose as Malacañang and the House have both called off their charter change charge.

MAN-MADE DISASTER

Injecting a "sub-theme of compassion" into the rally will also "silence policemen who have been throwing all kinds of threats…in a bid perhaps to dissuade people from attending it."

Recto said the rally "can both be an opportunity to say a prayer of thanks for stopping a man-made disaster that was Con-Ass and for seeking help for victims of a natural calamity."

"Let it be an occasion to heave a sigh of relief that Cha-cha was stopped and at the same time call for more relief to typhoon-hit areas," he said.

Recto said he was offering this unsolicited advice to rally organizers "so more people will go to Luneta once they see that there’s an expanded agenda, a theme that is more attuned to the season. Hindi naman maganda na Pasko na Cha-cha pa rin."

NEGROS RALLIES

More than 20,000 Negrenses participated in simultaneous Church-led prayer rallies in key five key cities of Negros Occidental and in Guihulngan, Oriental Negros, opposing what they call the "deceitful" manner in pushing for changes to the Constitution.

At least 10,000 gathered at the plaza of Bacolod, while 10,000 others also held similar activities in the cities of San Carlos, Kabankalan, Cadiz and Escalante, as well as in Guihulngan, according to Fr. Edwin Laude, director of the Social Action Center of the Diocese of San Carlos.

The rallies were spearheaded by Bacolod Bishop Vicente Gregorio and Kabankalan Bishop Patricio Buzon.

"We need to send a strong message to the powers that be – both the majority block in the House of Representatives and Malacañang – that the people have had enough of these brazen machinations," Navarra said.

"We need to say that we, the people, hold Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ultimately accountable for these insidious plots to alter the political order to benefit politicians and not the people," Navarra added.

CAUSE OF TROUBLE

In the Bacolod prayer rally, almost 60 to percent of the participants were students and those from middle-income families.
Navarra said: "I think Mrs. Gloria Arroyo is the cause of all these things and she should be sensible enough to step down, to give the Filipino people a chance to breath and to be free."

Fr. Anecito Buenafe, head of the Social Action Center of the Diocese of Bacolod, said the administration’s backtracking on Cha-cha showed that real power comes from the people.*

Rep. Ignacio Arroyo (Neg. Occ., 5th district) said while he still believes that constitutional reforms are needed to move the country forward, this may be can be done after the 2007 elections.

BIGGEST RALLY

In Cagayan de Oro, a multi-sectoral group said it was prepared to launch one of the biggest rallies in the city this year against moves to change the Constitution.
Cagayan de Oro Bishop Antonio Ledesma said the rally will be staged simultaneously with the rally in Manila.

Beverly Musni, a human rights lawyer-activist, said the groups Gabriela and Karapatan and other militant organizations in Northern Mindanao would join the Cagayan de Oro rally.

The opposition PDP-Laban will come in full force, said ex-mayor Pablo Magtajas, the party’s chairman for Cagayan de Oro. – With JP Lopez, Dennis Gadil, Gilbert Bayoran and Benjamin Balce