Groups all set for Friday's protest march with Lozada
NBN-ZTE witness Rodolfo Noel "Jun" Lozada Jr. will join a two-kilometer march for "truth, justice and accountability" when he visits this city, a known administration bailiwick, on Friday, organizers said yesterday.
In a press conference, groups belonging to the Alliance for Truth and Justice, said thousands of protesters including students, professionals, lawyers and businessmen are expected to join the protest march calling for accountability in the scrapped project.
Lozada is scheduled to arrive early morning on Friday in his first stop of a series of provincial visits to speak on the NBN-ZTE issue.
He will be met my multi-sectoral groups on his arrival at the Iloilo airport in Sta. Barbara town. The contingent will caravan from the airport to the University of San Agustin in this city where Lozada will meet with the Augustinian community.
Protesters assembled at the University of San Agustin and Lozada will then march to the De Paul College in Jaro District where a protest rally and forum will be held. Other protesters are expected to join along the protest route from schools and communities.
Lozada is expected to proceed to Bacolod City in the afternoon.
The groups that will join the protest include the Philippine Independent Church, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Youth for Accountability and Truth (Y ACT) and Gabriela.
Fr. Ryan Teves, media relations director of the Jaro Archdiocese, said in the press conference that the march and forum will be joined by the clergy, parishioners of parishes in the city and students from schools belonging to the Catholic Educators Association of the Philippines.
He said the forum will be an opportunity for Ilonggos to see and hear Lozada in person and ask questions on the ZTE-NBN controversy.
Fr. Christopher Ablan, spokesperson of the Promotion of Church People's Rights (PCPR) in Panay, said more sectors and groups are coming out to join the calls for truth and justice and to join protest actions.
Lawyer Joshua Alim, a convenor of the alliance, said they have coordinated with the Philippine National Police to ensure Lozada's security.
Iloilo City is known as an administration bailiwick where the President and administration candidates have won by a large margin in the last elections. Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, chair of the League of Cities of the Philippines, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez and his son and namesake Iloilo Rep. Raul Gonzalez Jr. are staunch allies of the President.
"The protest actions which are joined by more and more Ilonggos show that the people here are rejecting the corruption plaguing the administration despite the pro-administration stand of most Ilonggo officials," said Hope Hervilla, regional coordinator of the party-list group Bayan Muna.
Rev. Stanley Flores of the Jesus Is Lord (JIL) Movement urged public officials to come out and join the calls for "truth, justice and accountability" amid allegations of bribery involving top officials of the government on the scrapped deal.
"If they are not coming out, this says something," said Flores.