Palace to Labor Day rallyists: Stay within bounds of law

President Arroyo appealed anew to critics and militant labor groups for a peaceful and orderly celebration of Labor Day and limit their activities and mass actions within the bounds of law.

In a speech before the national convention of the Vice Mayor’s League of the Philippines in Bacolod City, Mrs. Arroyo warned the public against being cowed by "disciples of anarchy" and said the authorities would uphold "constitutional order and the rule of law" on May 1.

The President also took the opportunity to thank local government officials for their continuous support in the face of a new threat posed against her administration.

"You were there for me when I needed your support and you continue to be there for me as I need your support in many other things of governance," the President said.

"Thank you because you believe that we have a cause that we must continue to ignore the noisy political plot being fired at the chief of state and you keep your sight on the prize of a better future," she said.

Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said the government would not "shirk from its duty of implementing the law to protect the ordinary working man and to preserve order in our streets."

Bunye said the police and the Armed Forces have prepared security measures against the expected emotional protest actions by militant groups and the opposition.

He said the rallyists will be held responsible for their actions.

Security forces have been alerted on the latest reported plot to oust President Arroyo by leftist and opposition groups called "Oplan Manggagawa" on May 1.

The military has also prepared measures ahead of last-ditch plans by extreme forces to overthrow the government starting tomorrow.

The plan is a sub-plot of Oplan Hackle, which involved mainly military rightist groups and the communist New People’s Army (NPA) to overthrow the government and forcibly remove President Arroyo.

National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales belittled the threat, claiming the opposition and leftist groups do not have strong support from the people.

"I was not given a copy of Oplan Manggagawa. May nagpabasa lang sa akin more than a week ago. Hindi totoong dokumento ’yan at hindi nila kaya i-implement sa tingin ko," Gonzales said.

Militant labor groups led by the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) are reportedly planning to mobilize the urban poor and farmers from the provinces as a show of force against the administration during the Labor Day celebrations.

Gonzales claimed the KMU has no capacity to bring out a huge number of rallyists and bring them to Manila.

He, however, said authorities are not taking any chances in protecting Malacañang and avoid a repeat of the May 1, 2001 riots by supporters of deposed President Joseph Estrada.

"What they’re going to try again is to attempt to gather huge crowds in different parts of Metro Manila and have them stay there as long as possible in the hope of creating pressure but it’s not gonna happen," he said.

"The most they can do is to stage street rallies and other protest actions but it’s nothing that the police can’t handle."

PNP on the ready

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has assured strict security measures have been mapped for a peaceful and orderly observance of Labor Day.

PNP spokesman Senior Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao Jr. said police area commanders, particularly in Metro Manila, have drawn up security measures to ensure an orderly Labor Day celebration.

He said the police chiefs in the National Capital Region have prepared an elaborate operation plan called "Task Force Manila Shield."

"We have been in heightened alert since Friday, before putting our whole force in full alert for Labor Day," Pagdilao said.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Vidal Querol said there will be no changes in the police anti-riot measures even after the Supreme Court ruled out the implementation of the calibrated preemptive response (CPR) policy.

"There will be no changes. No permit no rally policy stands and if there are rallies, we will check if they have permit," Querol told reporters after a emerging from a meeting with the Armed Forces of the Philippines-National Capital Regional Command (NCRCOM) over security plans for May 1.

Querol said if the protesters do not have a permit, they will be asked to disperse peacefully.

But he assured there will be no dispersal as long as protesters pose no hazards, danger or inconvenience to the public.

Querol noted there are over 60 groups which have applied and secured permits to hold rallies for tomorrow.

He said the 5,000-anti-riot police force would be augmented by some 600 soldiers from NCRCOM.

He said authorities are now expecting rallyists to be more aggressive following the Supreme Court ruling which declared the so-called "calibrated preeemptive response or CPR unconstitutional.

Anti-riot police used to invoke the CPR policy to justify the use of force to disperse demonstrators. The policy led to a series of violent confrontations between demonstrators and anti-riot policemen during protest rallies.

At the same time, Querol called on his men to ignore every provocation by rallyists, who are expected to be aggressive and would ridicule them during mass actions.

Opportunities

The KMU, on the other hand, claimed the government is using all possible tactics to prevent workers from holding its planned protest actions for tomorrow.

KMU chairman Elmer Labog said that as far as the organized labor sector is concerned, Labor Day is the opportunity for workers to express their sentiment and push for urgent measures for better wages and working conditions.

Labog clarified the KMU will not be taking part in any destabilization plot against the administration.

"Oplan Manggagawa is a Malacañang-hatched anti-Labor Day propaganda campaign aimed to besmirch the historical significance of Labor Day and the legitimate issues that workers will put forward on that day," Labog said.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., meanwhile, warned local chief executives against refusing to act on applications for permits to hold protest rallies in their areas of jurisdiction.

"The mayors should act on the application one way to another so that in case it is disapproved, the applicant can take the necessary legal recourse," Pimentel said.

Pimentel said the Labor Day celebrations will be an opportunity to test the Supreme Court ruling against the CPR, where thousands of protesters and rallyists are expected to take to the streets.

Under the Public Assembly Act (Batas Pambansa 880), Pimentel noted that an application for rally permit is deemed automatically approved if the mayor fails to act on it within two days after it was filed.

But even after the mayor approves the rally permit, it has become a practice by policemen to break up a street rally for no apparent reason, he said.

"Worse, the mayor who refused to act on the application would usually tell the police no permit has been granted by his office. It is the obligation of the mayors to explain why they have refused to grant the permit so that the parties concerned can appeal to the courts," Pimentel said.

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, on the other hand, claimed the government can still invoke Proclamation 1017 should violence breaks out on May 1.

President Arroyo issued the controversial proclamation and placed the entire country under a week-long state of emergency during the failed coup last Feb. 24.

The President earlier declared a state of emergency during the May 1, 2001 riots staged by supporters of deposed President Joseph Estrada.

Gonzalez explained the Supreme Court has not decided on the legality of Proclamation 1017.

"Proclamation 1017 was not abrogated. There is still no SC decision yet. It can be invoked anytime," Gonzalez warned.

Mrs. Arroyo also called on local officials to work closely with police authorities in the campaign against terrorism, also citing the latest threat by the Abu Sayyaf to strike during the Labor Day celebrations. — With Paolo Romero, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Pia Lee-Brago, Christina Mendez, Jaime Laude, James Mananghaya, Sandy Araneta, Michael Punongbayan, Sheila Crisostomo