PHILIPPINES: Thousands of protesters call for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's resignation a day after a foiled coup attempt

Thousands of protesters in the Philippines conducted an anti-government march on a national holiday commemorating a historic revolutionary leader, just a day after a dramatic coup attempt that once again rocked the country's shaky political landscape. The militant group Bayan (literally "Nation") and other left-leaning organisations spearheaded protesters Friday (November 30) in a march calling for the resignation of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Approximately five thousand protesters and students have participated in the protest actions. November 30 is known in the Philippines as Andres Bonifacio Day, or "Hero's Day", celebrating the birth of a famed colonial era resistance leader. Bonifacio is most remembered for being one of the founders of a historic organisation which fought against the oppression of Spanish colonizers in the late 19th century. Chants, shouts, and slogans demanding Arroyo's resignation peppered the air on the way to Mendiola Street, a famous site for anti-government protests. The protest came just one day after a failed coup attempt by rebel soldiers. "We want Gloria out of the presidency, we want Gloria ousted," participant Aries Galubanid said. "As what we saw yesterday, this march is to show the extent of this government's violence," protester George Nasingbugkos said, referring to the heavy-handed measures taken by the Arroyo administration to subdue the budding coup on Thursday (November 29). "We want to show that not only the military is against what they did yesterday. The wider community headed by Bayan also condemns these actions," Nasingbugkos added. Despite the Hero's Day march, Manila's residents went about their business as usual on the public holiday shrugging off the latest short-lived coup attempt in a country well-used to acts of political bravado. The Peninsula Hotel, where the small group of rebel soldiers and supporters had holed up, remained closed. Its lobby peppered with bullet holes after elite forces stormed in on Thursday bringing the mutiny to a bloodless but dramatic close. Shards of glass and debris from Christmas ornaments littered the reception area. The morning sun poured through what had been a grand glass doorway, completely destroyed after an armoured personnel carrier battered through it. Two of the Philippines' better known coup plotters -- Senator Antonio Trillanes, who as a navy officer also led a failed mutiny in 2003 against Arroyo, and Danilo Lim, a former head of the elite Scout Rangers unit -- called on people to join their protest but no one came. Despite their dislike of Arroyo, the Philippine middle class, instrumental in two previous "people power" revolts, is weary of political upheaval that would trip up a reviving economy. "We'd like to just have peace and get back to work," said Walter Mendez, a businessman. "It's only a matter of months anyway. Her term will end soon and she will be out of the Palace." he added, referring to Arroyo. Speaking about the action of the coup leaders, Mendez asked: "If the economy suffers further because of what they are doing, what will happen to the regular-wage earners?" Arroyo has the lowest approval ratings since former dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Her unpopularity is due to a seemingly endless cycle of corruption allegations and her failure to shake accusations she cheated in the 2004 elections. But the former economist has now survived three coup plots and the same number of impeachment attempts, cushioned by public apathy and a strong majority in the lower house of Congress. Newspaper editorials blasted Trillanes, who is already facing charges for the 2003 coup attempt in a luxury apartment complex close to the Peninsula. The former lieutenant kickstarted Thursday's drama by walking out of his trial in Manila's financial hub of Makati along with around a dozen other accused, escorted by guards assigned to keep them from escaping. "The idea that a commander-in-chief can be forced out of office by taking over a secluded hotel in Makati was ridiculous in 2003. It is only pathetic now," wrote the editorial in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Local media also criticized the government for heavy-handed tactics. Scores of journalists who were covering the siege in the Peninsula were detained by police but later released and Arroyo ordered a midnight to 5 am curfew which resulted in civilians caught unawares being hauled in for questioning. "Those moves would only be added to a long list of reasons for public discontent," wrote The Philippine Star in an editorial entitled "Deja Vu". In contrast, there are also those who think that the government's use of force against the coup plotters was justified. "I think the government-aligned forces did the right thing, since the coup plotters won't listen to reason and surrender," said Alberto Villegas, a security guard. Despite the coup attempt, however, political analyst and Ateneo de Manila University professor Benito Lim believes that this latest political disturbance would not be enough to dislodge Arroyo from power. "From the way it looks, she will serve out her term," Lim said. "There would still be political turmoil, there would still be people who will ask her to resign and Arroyo will react massively, using the military to put them down." "I don't think they would succeed because there are so many senators who are aspiring to become presidential candidates in the coming 2010 elections. They are preparing for the coming election, and they will not support any 'people power' movement," added Lim. Trillanes, Lim and the rest of the coup plotters were brought to the main police camp under armed guard early on Friday. Sedition and rebellion charges will be filed against them. "These kinds of events will repeat themselves continuously unless the root of the problem is addressed," househusband Victor Bayani soberly notes. Coup attempts by disgruntled elements of the military have been a staple of the politically turbulent Philippine archipelago since its liberation in 1986 from the regime of former strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

ITN Source | November 30, 2007

Tags:. .unawares. .revolts. .oppression. .rebellion. .impeachment