Women's Day demonstrators demand Arroyo’s resignation
03/08/2008 | 10:30 PM
MANILA, Philippines - Hundreds of female left-wing activists celebrated International Women's Day with a march to the presidential palace Saturday to demand the resignation of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for alleged corruption.
Using steel fences wrapped with barbed wire, police blocked the protesters on a bridge close to the Malacañang palace in central Manila.
The marchers carried red and purple banners saying "Oust Gloria" and chanted "Gloria, out now" as they tried to cross the historic bridge, scene of many violent confrontations between police and protesters since the martial law regime of the late Ferdinand Marcos.
The festive rally, punctuated by protest songs and anti-Arroyo slogans, ended with the burning of an effigy of the President, who was depicted as a thief carrying a bag full of money.
"We are calling on President Arroyo to resign and we are also calling on the people, especially the women, to unite and join this movement for change in our leadership," said Rep. Liza Maza of the left-wing women's party, Gabriela.
Saturday's march was the latest in a series of protests triggered by allegations of bribery in a US$330 million government broadband contract with China's telecommunications giant ZTE Corp.
Former consultants have testified in Senate hearings that Arroyo, her husband and the country's elections chief — who has since quit — benefited from huge kickbacks linked to the broadband project.
The scandal forced Mrs Arroyo to cancel the contract last year, but the opposition-dominated Senate is continuing an investigation into the deal.
Mrs Arroyo's husband and the resigned elections chief Benjamin Abalos Sr have denied any wrongdoing, while presidential spokesmen have dismissed the charges as hearsay.
In her seven years in power, Mrs Arroyo has survived four attempted power grabs and three opposition impeachment bids over alleged corruption and vote rigging.
Analysts have attributed her staying power to the refusal of the powerful military and the Catholic church to join calls for her ouster. Those institutions played key roles in the revolts that ousted Marcos in 1986 and Arroyo's predecessor, Joseph Estrada, in 2001. - AP
Using steel fences wrapped with barbed wire, police blocked the protesters on a bridge close to the Malacañang palace in central Manila.
The marchers carried red and purple banners saying "Oust Gloria" and chanted "Gloria, out now" as they tried to cross the historic bridge, scene of many violent confrontations between police and protesters since the martial law regime of the late Ferdinand Marcos.
The festive rally, punctuated by protest songs and anti-Arroyo slogans, ended with the burning of an effigy of the President, who was depicted as a thief carrying a bag full of money.
"We are calling on President Arroyo to resign and we are also calling on the people, especially the women, to unite and join this movement for change in our leadership," said Rep. Liza Maza of the left-wing women's party, Gabriela.
Saturday's march was the latest in a series of protests triggered by allegations of bribery in a US$330 million government broadband contract with China's telecommunications giant ZTE Corp.
Former consultants have testified in Senate hearings that Arroyo, her husband and the country's elections chief — who has since quit — benefited from huge kickbacks linked to the broadband project.
The scandal forced Mrs Arroyo to cancel the contract last year, but the opposition-dominated Senate is continuing an investigation into the deal.
Mrs Arroyo's husband and the resigned elections chief Benjamin Abalos Sr have denied any wrongdoing, while presidential spokesmen have dismissed the charges as hearsay.
In her seven years in power, Mrs Arroyo has survived four attempted power grabs and three opposition impeachment bids over alleged corruption and vote rigging.
Analysts have attributed her staying power to the refusal of the powerful military and the Catholic church to join calls for her ouster. Those institutions played key roles in the revolts that ousted Marcos in 1986 and Arroyo's predecessor, Joseph Estrada, in 2001. - AP
