SHOW OF FORCE?
Anti-GMA protest in Iloilo fizzles out; bigger rally vowed on July 25

By Florence F. Hibionada and Ronilo L. Pamonag

Red flags were up. Sound-system was in full blast. Uniformed police literally every nook and corner of the protest site. What was missing? The hyped-up expected presence of at least 2,000 protesters.

Wednesday's protest held at the Capitol grounds that called on the resignation of the President did not exactly turn out to be one big bang. In fact, with all eyes focused on the Capitol parking lot, passing motorists had no difficulty getting through the Capitol sidewalks as rallyists littered, unable to fill up the area.

Interestingly enough though, crowd estimates varied depending on whose side of the story the number is asked. Rexfel Trivilegio, former Tigbauan Councilor had the highest in estimate who placed the number of fellow protesters at 3,500 minimum and 4,000 maximum count. A police officer on the scene was not as enthusiastic as he took a quick look at the people present and his quick answer, "200..250 maximum." One scribe for a national paper for his part said 2,000 maximum peak while a radio reporter said put them all together, "should not be over 500." The "maximum" estimate would include those who joined the march but opted not to stay for the rally.

Lawyer Joshua Alim, who heads the United Opposition Iloilo, when asked for his comment said he estimates the crowd to be at 3,000 maximum during the march. However, he continued, the protesters did dwindle after a considerable number left immediately thereafter. " Ang importante nga nagmartsa sila ah, (what is important is that they marched)," he said.

Yet it was to be one of the usual anti-government protests where favorite target of snides and tirades was President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and its party-list, Bayan Muna and several other left-leaning organizations, which have been instrumental in the rallies that deposed former President Joseph Estrada in 2001 which paved the way for Arroyo's assumption, made up most of the crowd.

The entire time of the protest made livelier because of the "Hello Garci" recording played in every chance the group would have breaks in the program.

Across the street, it was business as usual with people coming in and out of the mall seemingly oblivious to the passionate screams and yells of the rallyists for support.

Such as those in provincial jeepneys who earlier joined the rounds in the city's major thoroughfares did not stay behind to listen.

"Wala pa gani kasugod di rally mapuli na mga upod nila? ," derided one vendor who enjoyed brisk sales courtesy of the passersby and commuters who opted to walk rather than wait up for the traffic to continue.

Some forty minutes into the rally, uniformed policemen in groups of six were seen relaxing in their posts, others casually walking back and forth. Traffic enforcers were also called in to direct the slowed pace of the traffic flow taken advantage by jeepney drivers who used the opportunity to load and unload passengers in the middle of the road.

Among the sidelights was an unwelcomed text message read to the group stating that P200 was set aside for those present and for them to claim such at the Capitol with free snacks.

Police operatives came from the Iloilo City Police Office, Iloilo City Mobile Group and augmentation forces sent by the Police Regional Office 6. "Maximum tolerance" was to be the standing order of the day for the officers sent to safeguard the city. True enough, no arrests was made nor the slightest in tension felt as the protest began and ended rather peacefully.

“We will continue this… this is just the start of things to come,” Alim told The News Today . “We will sustain this until she (Arroyo) steps down.”

Alim further said that depending on the situation in the country's capital, they will be again going out into the streets to demand Arroyo's resignation, although he admitted that protesting is all they could do. “Resignation is personal, you know,” he said.

Lawyer Rodolfo Lagoc of the ARM-Iloilo, on the other hand, said that if Arroyo insists on staying at the Presidency despite what he says is the growing clamor for her resignation, “the people might do things which she would not like.”

“Bahala siya,” Lagoc said of Mrs. Arroyo, threatening at the same time that there might be a ‘peaceful power revolution' if the President will not step down.

Lagoc said that they have given up on the impeachment, the procedure provided by the 1987 Constitution as the only means of removing a president.

“She controls Congress,” Lagoc pointed out.