Anti-WTO groups march in Makati

Some 500 members of various militant organizations staged a protest march in Makati City to call for the junking of the World Trade Organization (WTO) yesterday.

They converged at the Makati Fire Station and marched to Makati Avenue before going back to the Makati Fire Station where they rested before proceeding to Quezon City.

The groups included Sanlakas, Partido ng Manggagawa and the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, which fall under the umbrella organization of the Freedom from Debt Coalition.

They carried an effigy depicting President Arroyo as a Dalmatian puppy to symbolize the administration’s lap dog attitude toward developed nations.

Police were monitoring the rally from the start, but did not disperse the crowd since the rallyists remained peaceful and orderly and assured them they would not be staying long.

Michelle Nicudine, of Sanlakas, said more and bigger protest actions and activities against the WTO will be launched in the next days.

"We call for the scrapping of the WTO in general and are particularly concerned over the foreign takeover of power and water services in the country through privatization," she said.