By Ronron
January 14, 2008
Militant groups admitted Monday that there will be mass actions on January 18th and 22nd but belied these are intended to overthrow the Arroyo government.
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Secretary General Renato Reyes said their organization will indeed hold a mass gathering on January 18 but it is just to commemorate the EDSA People Power II Revolution in 2001 that catapulted Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to power.
The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), in a statement, said that its group also intends to do the same on January 22nd but it is to remember only the Mendiola Massacre in 1987.
“We are wondering why this government, the Arroyo administration, is saying that there are destabilization threats in the coming days when the activities are just yearly commemorative activities, which are part of our rights to express one’s self and to protest against this administration,” Reyes said in Filipino in a radio interview yesterday morning.
“That (destabilization plot) seems impossible to happen in the coming days, really. What will happen are just commemorative activities,” he added.
Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Sr. Supt. Nicanor Bartolome on Sunday said authorities are always on alert for forthcoming mass actions because destabilizers, especially those involved in recently foiled coup plots, may take advantage of those.
A similar scenario was allegedly foiled in February 2006 when military officers led by Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim supposedly wanted to join the EDSA People Power II Revolution anniversary commemoration only to withdraw support from Arroyo.
Reyes said their activity on January 18 is to remind Arroyo of the promises she made when she was entrusted the Presidency on January 20, 2001 over Joseph Estrada, who was being accused then of massive corruption in government.
“Before, they are so happy about EDSA gatherings because it is for their benefit. Seven years later, now that they are already in power, it seems like they no longer want the people to reminisce and look back how they were placed in power and be held accountable for the seven years they have been in position,” he said.
KMP chairman Rafael Mariano, for his part, said they are not hiding their January 22 activity to prove that they have no motive other than calling for justice for the victims of the Mendiola Massacre and all other forms of so-called State terrorism.
“It is laughable though that Sec. (Raul) Gonzalez (of the Department of Justice) is making it as if we are going to take over Malacanang or something. He should stop making us as an excuse to hid his fascist bent in further restricting the media,” Mariano said.
Over the weekend, Gonzalez was reported to have issued an advisory to media practitioners that they will be arrested if they get in the way of legitimate police operations like what happened during the November 29, 2007 siege at the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City by Lim, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, and other Magdalo soldiers.
Gonzalez reportedly based his advisory on an intelligence report that there will be a destabilization plot on January 22.
The police and military, however, could not immediately confirm said report, saying they are still verifying it.
In an interview yesterday afternoon, PNP chief Gen. Avelino Razon, Jr. said they have no holding of the report cited by the Justice Secretary and just insisted on their initial information that it is the Magdalo Group that continues to pose a threat to the current administration.
On the part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Maj. Gen. Fernando Mesa, chief of the National Capital Region Command, said what they are watching out is the infiltration by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in the planned mass actions in the coming days, including that on January 22.
“We have some information that they are really out to do something, the CPP-NPA is really out to do something to destabilize our government,” Mesa said in a separate interview with Camp Aguinaldo reporters.
Mesa said the KMP should “look into their own organization” on January 22 “to find out if they are already infiltrated or not.”
It can be recalled that the government had also implicated the 39-year-old communist movement in the alleged power grab plot in February 2006. The government had said then that the Magdalo Group had been in touch with communist leaders in the outskirts of Metro Manila.
Amidst having such information, Mesa assured that their troops are ready to quell any violence that is intended to overthrow the government.
Razon, for his part, sounded more confident. “There will be no change in government. Any power grab plot will hurt the country economically,” he said.
Asked why then are government officials talking freely about alleged destabilization threats against the Arroyo administration this time, Razon said: “It is to empower the people. We’d rather inform the people of threats to society so they would be on alert and can help the agencies address these threats and prevent them from moving.”
But Bayan and KMP assured that there will be no violence or any move disruptive to peace when they hold their mass actions on the 18th and 22nd, respectively.
“On our part, we will definitely push through with our plan and not allow this psy-war tactic of the regime to hamper our demand for land and justice,” Mariano said.
“We are urging the Filipino people to join us and show this government that we are standing for our rights and are not afraid to struggle,” he added./DMS
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