Massive anti-Cha Cha prayer rally set
ILOILO CITY—Church and militant groups here will hold a prayer rally on December 12 in what they said is the opening salvo of protest actions against moves to amend the Constitution before the 2010 elections.
The groups including Church-run schools have formed the "Stop Gloria's Cha-Cha Now" coalition to coordinate protest actions.
"We have joined together to express righteous anger against charter change (Cha-cha)," Msgr. Meliton Oso, executive director of the Jaro Archdiocese Social Action Center, said in a press conference on Wednesday.
The coalition includes the Alliance for Truth, Transparency, Justice and Accountability (ATTJA), Iglesia Filipina Independiente, Western Visayas Ecumenical Council, United Church of Christ in the Philippines, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and the Pinag-Isang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide.
Oso said their prayer rally will be coordinated with a similar activity in Manila also to be joined by religious groups, civil society organizations, individuals and non-government organizations.
He said they are protesting the "very selfish intentions" behind the move to convene a constituent assembly and amend the constitution.
"These moves are against the interest of the people especially the poor," said Oso.
Bishop Gaspar Bañez of the IFI said in the press conference that the Cha-cha "will not benefit the people and will only serve a hidden agenda."
Edgar Pelayo, spokesperson of the militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan in Panay, said the renewed moves to amend the Constitution should be strongly opposed because the Arroyo administration has been"historically treacherous and corrupt."
Despite all its denials, Malacañang is clearly behind the Cha-cha moves," Pelayo said in the press conference.
Participants of the prayer rally will assemble in three points before marching to the grounds of the Iloilo provincial capitol where the prayer rally will be held.
The march will be preceded by a 3-minute blowing of horns by public jeepneys, according to Edgar Salarda, coordinator of Piston-Panay.
He said their members will also post anti-Cha-cha stickers on jeepneys.