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Thousands gather in Makati to call for Arroyo’s ouster


Thousands of protesters demanding the resignation of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo marched to through Metro Manila on Friday, undeterred by heavy security after officials revealed an alleged plot to assassinate her by al-Qaeda-linked militants. An estimated 10,000 people, including left-wing and Roman Catholic Church-backed groups, carried streamers reading ''Gloria resign!'' at a rally in Makati, the capital's financial district. The rally was triggered by corruption allegations linking top officials and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's husband in a brewing kickback scandal. ''These are telling signs that the people are again roused and are ready to take political action,'' said Renato Reyes, secretary general of the left-wing Bayan, one of the organizers. Former vice president Teofisto Guingona said protests will continue ''until the truth is revealed'' about the Arroyo government's alleged corruption. The Rev. Jerry Sabado, who was among the nuns and seminarians at the rally, said they were ''indignant at the unending cover-up of this regime of all scams and scandals that have caused misery to our people.'' The protest, which blocked a major thoroughfare, came a day after the military said intelligence reports indicated communist rebels may infiltrate the rally. The military went on high alert after officials revealed an alleged plot by the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group and its Indonesia-based ally, Jema'ah Islamiyah, to assassinate Arroyo and attack embassies. Capt. Carlo Ferrer, spokesman for the military unit in charge of security for the capital, said hundreds of troops, backed by armored vehicles, were on standby and more could be mobilized. The opposition dismissed the alleged plot as a means to discourage participation in the rally. Political tensions heightened after former government consultant Rodolfo Lozada Jr. linked a former elections chief and Arroyo's husband to an allegedly overpriced $330 million government broadband contract in Senate testimony. Both men have denied the allegations. Mrs Arroyo has survived three opposition impeachment bids and four attempted power grabs, mainly because of support from loyal generals and a formidable political coalition during her seven tumultuous years in power. She has been accused of rigging the 2004 election and implicated by opposition politicians in a series of corruption scandals, along with members of her family. Arroyo has rejected the allegations and vowed to finish the last two years of her term. ''We want to fight corruption,'' she told a business forum Friday, while criticizing the opposition for riding on the latest controversy ''as part of our less-than-impressive political culture.'' Thousands of anti-Arroyo demonstrators representing various militant, civil society, and Church organizations have started massing in Makati City, prompting authorities to close down Ayala Avenue from Edsa to Buendia from traffic. Personalities Personalities such as former vice president Teofisto Guingona, Armida Siguon-Reyna, former Movie and Television Review and Classification Board head, and Fr. Robert Reyes. Members of the United Opposition led by Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay were also present. Jose "Joey" De Venecia III, the ZTE witness who had implicated First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo in the controversial broadband scam, was also spotted in the rally. The protest action, which started about 4 p.m., is expected to last up to 8 p.m. The National Capital Region Police Office earlier deployed a total of 2,000 policemen to secure major areas in Metro Manila. National Police chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr said officers were deployed in Makati City, Manila, and at the EDSA Shrine in Mandaluyong City. Razon said augmentation troops from the Armed Forces National Capital Region Command are on stand-by at Camp Aguinaldo. - GMANews.TV and the Associated Press

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