WARM-UP PROTEST Militants parade effigies of President Aquino and Uncle Sam during a Sunday rally near Malacañang in preparation for a big one when the country’s highest official delivers his third State of the Nation Address Monday at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City. RICHARD A. REYES
Military and police forces in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces went on highest alert Sunday as President Benigno Aquino prepared to face a joint session of Congress Monday to deliver his report on the state of the nation.
But apart from massive protest rallies expected to be launched by militant and other antigovernment organizations, authorities expect no major threats to public security Monday.
“So far, we have not received any report of a threat,” Colonel Arnulfo Burgos Jr., military spokesperson, said Sunday. “However, we are continuing with our monitoring and surveillance in coordination with the Philippine National Police and other security agencies.”
“(We anticipate a) peaceful State of the Nation Address (Sona), yes,” he added.
Full alert
Police regional offices in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Calabarzon were placed on full alert beginning noon Sunday.
Those in Zamboanga, Davao, Soccksargen, Caraga, Northern Mindanao and the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) are still on full alert even though the voters’ registration in the ARMM was over.
Police forces in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Mimaropa, Bicol, Cordillera Autonomous Region, and Western, Central and Eastern Visayas have remained at heightened alert.
Orders went out to all police commanders to secure all police camps and offices, vital installations, economic key points and public places.
Police sweeps
The military has seven Civil Disturbance Management (CDM) companies with about 500 troops standing by in case police ask for assistance, Burgos said.
Police ran sweeps of communities near the House of Representatives in Quezon City on Friday night to ensure there were no criminals lurking there to disrupt the President’s speech in Congress today.
Chief Superintendent Mario de la Vega, Quezon City police chief, ordered the “saturation drive” in the vicinities of the legislative complex, but the police sweeps produced negative results.
De la Vega said the sweeps also intended to flush out terrorists, but no terrorists were found.
The policemen carried warrants for the arrest of several criminals, but none of those wanted men was found in the raided areas, De la Vega said.
The communities around the House of Representatives were “generally peaceful,” De la Vega said.
The Senate and the House of Representatives will meet in joint session today at the Batasang Pambansa complex to listen to President Aquino’s third report on the state of the nation.
Militant groups have announced marches and rallies on Commonwealth Avenue, the main road leading to the legislative complex in Quezon City.
Chief Superintendent Edgardo Ladao, Central Luzon police director, on Sunday said he ordered 300 policemen to Quezon City to beef up security around the legislative complex.
“The aim is make this a peaceful Sona,” Ladao said.
Luisita farmers
On Sunday, 120 farm workers from Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac left the province to picket the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) offices in Quezon City.
The farm workers would join a march to Congress today, said Joseph Canlas, chairman of Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luson.
At least 350 more farm workers from the disputed estate owned by the family of President Aquino were expected to join marches and programs near the legislative complex, he said.
“We challenge President Aquino to order the fast distribution of land in Luisita as ordered by the Supreme Court,” Canlas said. “If he’s truly sincere, he should render justice long denied the farm workers by his relatives.”
Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes earlier said his agency would be ready with a preliminary list of confirmed beneficiaries by August or September.
The DAR is interviewing the farm workers or heirs of farm workers whose names appear on a 1989 list prepared for the stock distribution plan, a system used by Hacienda Luisita owners to implement agrarian reform but was voided by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court thrice upheld the distribution of Hacienda Luisita land, as recommended by the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council.
March to Manila
In San Pablo City in Laguna province, more than 1,000 militant farmers pressed their march to Manila on Sunday despite heavy rain.
Orly Marcellana, a leader of the group, said getting soaked in the rain would not deter the farmers from continuing on to Manila to stage a protest.
Marcellana said his group would join militants from Metro Manila and march to the legislative complex carrying effigies of the President and Uncle Sam to dramatize their protest against human rights violations that, they said, the government has failed to stop, even under the Aquino administration.
In the Visayas, Mr. Aquino’s critics will also march and stage rallies today as he speaks in Congress Monday.
Thousands of protesters in Iloilo, Aklan and Capiz are expected to join, said Karlo Mongaya, spokesperson in Panay of the Kabataan party-list group.
The protest actions will include walkouts from schools to protest high tuition and other fees and insufficient funding for education, Mongaya said.
Protesters led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) will assemble in front of the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) campus in Iloilo City and at the Jaro District plaza and converge at the Iloilo provincial capitol before marching around the city.
“We, of course, expect President Aquino to paint a rosy picture of his second year in office. But the people, especially those belonging to the poorest sectors know that life has not improved and has even gone worse,” said Lean Porquia, secretary general of Bayan-Panay.
Mongaya said students from UPV, West Visayas State University, Central Philippine University and other schools in Iloilo City will join the rally. Others will hold forums, wear red shirts, light candles and wear ribbons to show their support.
Protest actions have also been set in the capital town of Kalibo in Aklan and in Roxas City in Capiz, Porquia said. With reports from Julie M. Aurelio in Manila; Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon; Romulo Ponte, Inquirer Southern Luzon; and Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas
More News:
Aquino backs FOI bill, insists aide
Palace: No war with bishops over reproductive health bill
Dengue cases in Philippines up by 16%
INQUIRER.net poll: 40% of respondents think Aquino’s SONA excellent
Aquino’s RH bill endorsement an open war on Church, bishops say
Despite Aquino snub, FOI will be pushed, lawmaker vows
Palace defends use of last year’s crime stats in SONA
Aquino can’t stop Charter change moves—Palace
Aquino submits P2-trillion budget to Congress
Palace: No road map needed for ‘daang matuwid’
Palace names Rojas permanent NBI chief
Aquino statement on responsible parenthood ‘safe’ , says Sotto
Luisita lands should be distributed in one year, says farmers group leader
Guingona says Aquino’s SONA surpassed his expectations
Aquino: Philippines is no longer a joke
6,000 cops block 5,000 protesters hurling stones
House ‘Great Wall’ shrine to historic impeachment
Aquino: Nothing is impossible
Scores hurt as protesters clash with cops
Aquino defends new mining policy
Aquino: We’ve proven the impossible possible
Aquino’s ‘good news’ not in sync with reality—Casiño
No mention of RH bill in Sona, says Sotto
Mining, sin tax bills should be passed, says Drilon
Aquino vows to step up infrastructure development
Aquino calls ARMM governor ‘certified ghost buster’
Police say Aquino Sona peaceful despite clash
Clash with cops resulted from ‘frustration,’ say militants
Binay gives Aquino Sona a ‘9’
Villar rates Aquino’s Sona ‘good’
Ombudsman Morales extolled in Aquino Sona
AFP to get more equipment, aircraft next year – Aquino
Aquino says reforms now the norm
Ex-President Estrada, senators assess Aquino gov’t
`Kayo po ang gumawa ng pagbabago. SONA ito ng sambayanang Pilipino’
Aquino won’t ‘forgive and forget’ sins of past administration
Aquino sees 10M tourists coming to PH by 2016
Aquino lauds gov’t improved risk reduction capability
Aquino says 3.1M jobs created in past 2 years
Aquino: Classroom shortage problem solved before 2014
Aquino tells legislators: Pass Sin Tax bill
Aquino draws cheer for mentioning possible passage of RH bill
Clash erupts again on Commonwealth Avenue, 2 media members injured
Philippines now open for business – Aquino
Aquino: Reformed PhilHealth reaches more poor people
Aquino opens 3rd Sona with attack on past administration
Aquino arrives in House for Sona
Protesters clash with cops in front of Ever Gotesco
Cayetano on charter change proponents: Proceed with caution
Lawmakers urged to pass K+12, RH bills
Protesters remove steel barricade near Ever Gotesco in Quezon City
Protesters burn Aquino effigy
15th Congress sessions open for Aquino’s third Sona
Enrile wants to hear Aquino’s plan on job creation
De Venecia, Bartolome, Carpio arrive at the House for Sona 2012
Charter change among Senate’s priorities—Enrile
Protesters call Aquino’s 2-year rule pro-foreigners, ‘mostly talk than work’
21 senators present at early Monday session; Pangilinan, Santiago absent
Militant farmers’ group clashes with police on Commonwealth Avenue
Media members affiliated with government TV stations join Sona 2012 protesters
235 lawmakers present at House’s early Monday session for 2012 Sona
Senate opens pre-Sona session
What the nation wants to hear
Police blockage on Commonwealth Avenue violates BP 880, says Bayan
Rains expected on SONA day–Pagasa
Protesters mass near Congress ahead of Aquino’s speech
Classes suspended in some Metro schools due to bad weather
Protesters told: Bring umbrellas, raincoats
PNP units on full alert for anti-Sona rallies
Sen. Arroyo to skip fashion parade of legislators
Palace vows ‘truthful, inspiring’ 3rd SONA
Senator Trillanes says won’t attend Aquino SONA
OK all the way, thumbs down on quite a few
Heavy rains forecast for Sona
PNP assures Sona protesters cops will not carry guns
Corona expects more attacks from Aquino, says he’s moved on
Palace hit for blaming courts on human rights slays
Congress pushes Charter change
Lawmakers voice out what they expect to hear from Aquino’s 3rd Sona
Liberal Party not aggressively recruiting—Belmonte
Arroyo seeks bishops’ prayers ‘to accept things she could no longer change’
Genuino charged over P258-M coffee overprice
Arroyo wants to stop P366-M PCSO case
About time you quit blaming Arroyo, militants tell Aquino
Militant group leaders snub pre-SONA dialogue with cops
CCT goal of easing poverty still way off
Some 5,000 cops to be deployed in Congress for Aquino speech
Not one human rights violator convicted–CHR chief
Gov’t reforms take roots at ‘cheating capital’ of PH
Ombudsman is Aquino’s key weapon vs graft
PSG inspects House ahead of President Aquino’s SONA
House preparations on high gear for Aquino State of the Nation Address
It’s official: Morales new Ombudsman
At A Glance
‘Thank you, my Bosses’
State of the Nation Address
Militants burn Aquino effigy
Militants gather at St. Peter’s Church
Farmers stopped from crossing police line
Arroyo arrives at House of Representatives
Some 5,000 cops, MMDA personnel deployed vs militants
Traffic build up on southbound lane of Commonwealth Ave. in QC
Militants prepare for ‘PeNoy’ effigy burning on Monday
President to focus on transformation
Anti-corruption drive gains top Aquino SONA—Palace
Traffic re-routing scheme for Monday in QC’s Commonwealth area
Lintang Bedol arrives in Camp Crame
Hardy Filipinos fly flag, fight loneliness on Kalayaan isle
Aquino reports to the boss (Part 1)