Pro-government group marches to Mendiola and holds mass for "peace and unity"

By Ronron
March 9, 2008

The pro-government Kongreso ng Mamamayan (Congress of the People) group marched on Sunday afternoon to the historic Mendiola site in Manila City from Liwasang Bonifacio to reiterate their appeal for "peace and unity" in the country.

Mae Lachica-Fuentes, media liaison officer of the group, told Manila Shimbun in a phone interview that the highlight of their activity was a holy mass near the monument of Don Chino Roces, which carried their "call for peace, unity and sobriety" amidst the current political crisis hounding the Arroyo government.

Fuentes said the activity was participated in by an estimate of 4,000 people, and the mass was officiated by Fr. Jimmy Giron.

"In the past few weeks, there is a clamor for students and the youth to go the streets and join the calls for the ouster of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. We're against that because they need to go to school and their work, instead of contributing to the downfall of our economy and their lives," Fuentes said in Filipino.

"Our position is let all these issues be brought to court and let the court decide on these," she added.

Fuentes said the group started leaving Liwasang Bonifacio at 1:30 pm, and formed a human chain as they marched to Mendiola. They arrived Mendiola at around 3pm.

The group dispersed around 4:30 pm after the holding of the mass.

Earlier in the day, another "Mass for Truth" was held at the De La Salle University along Taft Avenue in Manila City in support for Rodolfo Lozada, Jr., who had testified on the alleged irregularities behind the now-cancelled $329-million national broadband network project.

Former President Corazon Aquino was in attendance again, where she reiterated that there is still hope in her call for Arroyo to resign, citing the successful ouster of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.

Lozada, for his part, urged the public, especially the students and the youth, not to get tired in their current struggle, saying that they should instill in their minds that public officials must always be held accountable for their acts, and that there is always a better alternative to the current leadership./DMS