Mendiola closed to traffic as militants rally on Recto Ave

MANILA, Philippines - The Mendiola Bridge near Malacañang was closed off to traffic as police went into battle mode Friday afternoon, as militants were spotted marching along C.M. Recto Avenue in Manila. Radio dzBB reported that police sent several personnel rushing to Morayta Street at the city's University Belt to cut off the marchers before they got closer to the bridge. The police also rolled out barbed wires and had government firefighters position fire trucks along Legarda Street as additional layers of "protection." A team of policemen led by Manila Police District Station 3 head Supt. Romulo Sapitula blocked the marchers at the corner of C.M. Recto and Morayta, but allowed the marchers to hold a brief program there. Meanwhile, organizers of an inter-faith rally at the Liwasang Bonifacio finalized preparations for the rally which is due to start at 3 p.m. Streamers with the message "Katotohanan, Katarungan, Pagbabago (Truth, Justice, Change)" already adorned the venue hours before the scheduled rally. Expected to attend the rally was businessman Jose de Venecia III, one of the whistle-blowers in the $329.48-million ZTE broadband mess. - GMANews.TV