Text message says a million people will bring out troops

Mukhang malaki ata ang quota, 1.0 milyon? Sa dami ng variables, kawalan ng pamasahe't sari-saring banta, baka hindi umabot ng 40 - 60,000? Alalahaning mahaba-haba pa ang susuunging labanan. Ang sigurado, nilalangaw at pinagtatawanan ang Malakanyang backed people power ng Kongreso ng Mamamayan sa Welcome rotunda.

Ang tanong ng marami, pagod na ba sa mga rallies at demonstrasyon ang tao, dahil ba sa pare-parehong mukha (pulitiko at pulang kulay na banners / streamers) at kawalan ng alternatibo o dahil ba sa pinipigilan ng Malakanyang ang mga kumunidad, sinasabotahe, tinatakot, hinaharang ang mobilisasyong papasok (NLEX at SLEX) patungo sa mga pagkilos ng mamamayan o sa communal action?"

Sa panig ng grupong naghahanap ng KATOTOHANAN at demokratikong kilusan, bukas, magkakaiba-iba man ang posisyon, kulay o ideolohiya, paniniwala't alternatibong isinusulong, muling magkikita-kita ang maraming grupo sa iisang panawagan, sa iisang damdaming "communal action" para sa katotohanan, accountability Interfaith rally sa Makati.

Hindi na mahalaga kung ang grupo man ito ay nasa panig ng Noli - constitutional succession patungo sa Snap Election cum CARE TAKER govt, grupo man ito na may agendang IMPEACHMENT o mass resignation ng buong GMA Administration, reform o revolutionary (system change), ito may constitutional o extra-constitutional, ang sigurado, lahat ay nasa kumpas ng "Oust, pagbibitiw sa pwesto ng immoral at bangkaroteng gubyernong Macapagal Arroyo, lahat ay nasa balangkas ng PAGBABAGO, pagbabago ng buluk na sistema."

Eto na kaya ang pinakahihintay, magkaron kaya ng ispontanyong pagkilos ang mamamayan o ang TIPPING POINT na inaantabayanan ng marami? Abangan ang susunod na kabanata......

Doy / IPD
February 27, 2008
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The highest measure of democracy is neither the 'extent of freedom' nor the 'extent of equality', but rather the highest measure of participation.
A. d. Benoist


Text message says a million people will bring out troops
By Nikko Dizon, Kristine L. Alave, Alcuin Papa
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:36:00 02/28/2008
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20080228-121656/Text-message-says-a-million-people-will-bring-out-troops
MANILA, Philippines -- A text message saying that a million warm bodies in the streets will bring out troops and oust President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has begun to circulate among soldiers, but military officials shrugged it off as nothing but a "disinformation" campaign.
"The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines are asking us to produce one million warm bodies by Feb. 29 and they will withdraw support from this Mafia government. Let us all join hands to achieve this goal," the message read.

The Philippine Army spokesperson, Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, said the message was only meant to "confuse, influence, and deceive the Filipino people." Groups calling for the resignation of Ms Arroyo are set to hold an interfaith rally on Friday in Makati City.
(Photo below: JIL activity at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City, http://jilworldwide.org/jilarticles/?p=17)

JIL to field 100,000
Evangelist Bro. Eddie Villanueva, leader of Jesus Is Lord Movement (JIL), said Wednesday he would bring 100,000 members of his group to the Makati rally.
Villanueva said he had received messages from JIL pastors and members in the provinces that checkpoints had been set up along routes to Manila and expressed fears that troops would prevent them from joining the rally.

"We are appealing to the military that they should heed their constitutional mandate, that they should be the protector of the people, and serve the people and not just one family," Villanueva said.

PNP on alert
The Philippine National Police (PNP) was to go on full alert Thursday in anticipation of the Makati rally. National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Geary Barias said PNP Director General Avelino Razon had given the order for the full alert beginning at 6 p.m., meaning the 120,000 policemen in the country would stay at their posts at all times.

Barias said that the 10,000-strong Task Force Manila Shield had been activated to man checkpoints and go on patrols. Another 5,000 antiriot policemen will be deployed for the Makati rally from 5 to 8 p.m.

Snap elections
In a press conference, Villanueva reiterated his call on the President, Vice President Noli de Castro, Senate President Manuel Villar, House Speaker Prospero Nograles and Chief Justice Reynato Puno to set aside differences and "give way" to snap elections. (photo: www.op.gov.ph)

Villanueva said Ms Arroyo's elected successors were not credible because of the questionable results of the 2004 elections. He urged Puno to head a caretaker transition government that would oversee the snap elections and overhaul the Commission on Elections.
"To resolve worsening political crisis, the most peaceful [way] is to hold a genuine, peaceful, honest and credible snap elections," Villanueva said.

Present during the news conference were Catholic Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez of Caloocan City, Bishop Dan Balais of the Intercessors of the Philippines, lawyer Louie Sison and Josie Lichauco of Bangon Pilipinas.

Mass resignation urged
Villanueva said the show of force and discontent on Friday should encourage government officials to resign from Arroyo's political family.
"This is not just a prayer rally. This is to inspire government officials to exercise their patriotic duty to the nation by abandoning the perceived illegitimate President," he said.

Villanueva said he and other organizers were hoping that the demonstration would "inspire" other officials who have knowledge of the anomalies in the graft-tainted National Broadband Network deal to come out and reveal what they know.

In response to Ms Arroyo's statement that the world cannot forgive another People Power revolution, Villanueva said: "What the world cannot forgive is the unresolved string of corruption and scandals exposed in the media."

Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro of the Armed Forces of the Philippines information office said military officers had received the text message and other similar ones. Verification by the AFP showed that they came from only two mobile phone numbers, he said.

"This therefore indicates that a small group is simply broadcast texting for the purpose of disinformation and agitation. We will not therefore dignify and give credence to such attempts to agitate and disinform," Bacarro said.

He said that the military "will remain true to its pronouncements that we will not be swayed into extra-legal actions." "We shall remain constitutional soldiers. We will abide by and follow the chain of command and support or obey the duly constituted authorities," Bacarro said in a text message.