Piston won’t join transport strike

Members of a militant group of jeepney drivers and operators will not join tomorrow’s "Welgang Bayan" so passengers would not be stranded on the streets.

Medardo Roda, president of the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston), told reporters yesterday they opted to revise an earlier decision to go on strike tomorrow in support of the "Welgang Bayan." They finally decided to forgo the mass action during a meeting last Saturday.

"If we join the protest action, passengers will have no means to go to their destinations," he told The STAR in a telephone interview yesterday.

Interior and Local Governments Secretary Alfredo Lim ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to observe "maximum tolerance" while maintaining peace and order during the rally tomorrow.

On the other hand, Armed Forces chief Gen. Angelo Reyes and PNP chief Director General Panfilo Lacson warned the rallyists against forcing people to join the "Welgang Bayan."

Meanwhile, 11 congressmen belonging to the Lapian ng Masang Pilipino led by Camarines Sur Rep. Arnulfo Fuentebella called on the people to heed the message of the "National Day of Prayer and Fasting" last Saturday.

In an official statement, the congressmen said the estimated 1 to 1.6 million people at the prayer-rally affirms independent surveys showing that President Estrada still enjoys strong support from the people.

"But more than just the number of who went (to the rally), what stuck us was the total absence of political color in favor of genuine prayers for our President and our country," read the statement.

The congressmen urged the nation’s leaders to foster dialogue and democratic processes, instead of engaging in confrontation and recrimination.

Others who signed the statement were Representatives Lualhati Antonio, Rodolfo Albano III, Rosenda Anne Ocampo, Eduardo Veloso, Francis Escudero, Julio Ledesma IV, Amadeo Perez, Faustino Dy, Jesli Lapus, and Jesus Romualdo.

In Batangas, Rep. Ralph Recto and his wife, Lipa City Mayor Vilma Santos-Recto, will lead the "Welgang Bayan" protests in the province tomorrow.

In an official statement, the couple said the planned nationwide protest will finally force Mr. Estrada to resign from office.

"We believe that only through the united efforts of all sectors can we truly hope to bring an end to the crisis, fostered, among others, by the President’s evident involvement in illegal gambling, and heightened today by his continued refusal to step down from power," read the statement.

In Caloocan City, Mayor Reynaldo Malonzo told reporters he will allow city employees to join tomorrow’s anti-Estrada rally on condition they go on leave from their jobs.

"I’m urging them to attend the national day of protest against Erap but they must file a leave of absence," he said.

Malonzo appealed to the people of Caloocan to unite with other protesters in calling on the President to step down to lessen the "sufferings" of the nation.

"Let’s stand together and join this national day of protest against a destructive leadership," he said.

Malonzo said tomorrow’s rally to demand the resignation of the President will be the start of a massive, nationwide protest against the Chief Executive.

"Tomorrow is the beginning of the series of nationwide protest actions against Erap and I will always be supportive of it," he said.

On the other hand, Raymund Villanueva, secretary general of the 100,000-strong Alliance of Concerned Teachers, told reporters they will not force public school teachers to boycott their classes to join the mass action.

"We just encourage all teachers to take part in the mass action," he said. "We want nothing but the betterment of our country. The government has not done anything to improve our economy."

Villanueva said public school teachers, like other government employees, are under threat of dismissal if they participate in any protest action against the state.

"Although it is the right of everyone to speak out, we are not allowed to do so," he said. "It is the government that is supposed to protect this right but ironically, it is the one suppressing it."

The 200,000-strong Federation of Free Workers (FFW) will join the Labor Solidarity Movement (LSM) and the Kongreso ng Mamamayang Pilipino II (KOMPIL 2) in tomorrow’s "National Day of Protest."

Roy Oliveros, FFW vice president, told reporters all FFW local unions and affiliate organizations agreed over the weekend that their members will walk out from their jobs tomorrow to join various rallies all over the country.

Oliveros said the FFW/LSM/KOMPIL 2 will assemble at the Mabuhay Rotonda in Quezon City at 1 p.m., while the trade unionists and other allied organizations will head for Chino Roces (Mendiola) Bridge just across Malacañang in Manila.

At least 17,000 policemen and Army troops will be deployed in different parts of Metro Manila to maintain peace and order during the "Welgang Bayan."

Metro Manila police commander Director Edgar Aglipay told reporters yesterday he has appealed to the rally’s organizers to police their ranks and prevent protesters from setting up roadblocks and burning discarded tires on the streets.

"They have all the right to air their grievances against the government like in their past peaceful rallies," he told The STAR in a telephone interview .

Aglipay warned the rallyists that policemen and troops are ready to arrest any "troublemaker," and that police forces in Metro Manila are on red alert.

Aglipay said mobile cars in the five police districts will be roving starting 2 a.m. tomorrow to monitor the rallyists, and that special and weapons and tactics or SWAT teams will be on standby to arrest protesters if they go "out of control."

Aglipay said he will also deploy intelligence men and crowd control squads on the streets starting tonight in preparation for the massive rally.

Aglipay said the 15,000-strong Metro Manila police force will be reinforced by 2,000 policemen and Army troops from Regions 3 and 4.

Aglipay asked local government officials and residents to immediately report to the nearest police station any action of protesters setting up road blocks and other illegal activities.– Jaime Laude, Sheila Crisostomo, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Jess Diaz, Non Alquitran, and Christina Mendez