More sectors here show GMA support

Aksyon Sambayanan composed of farmers, vendors, Muslims and transport groups from different areas of Cebu gathered at the Malacañang sa Sugbo to express their strong support to President Gloria Arroyo.

The group signed a manifesto to show their full support to the Arroyo administration.

Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Felix Guanzon will bring the manifesto with a thousand signatures to Manila to show to the President that "Manila is not the Philippines, and Cebu is a GMA country," stressing that Manila is not only the voice of the country.

Meanwhile, acting Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said this afternoon's street party is another way of showing people in Manila that the Cebuanos who placed Arroyo to the presidency in last year's election are peace-loving as well as glad that she will stay in her position.

Rama told reporters yesterday they would prefer holding a street party than a rally.

"Let them dispute the one million votes," Rama said, adding that today's street party will help assess how many people support Arroyo and will show how they feel on the mounting clamor for her to step down from office.

The city government has heeded the invitation of the Capitol to join them in their night-long activity, just after Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia would deliver her State of the Province Address, wherein Cebu Provincial Police Office director Supt. Drusillo Bolodo is expected to deploy at least 50 policemen for security.

Rama urged City Hall employees as well as city residents to join in the street party after office hours in the afternoon to show support to Arroyo.

Today's street party is a miniature event of the barbecue cookout party, locally known as "Sugbayanihan", during the Independence Day celebration last June 12.

In view of this afternoon's activity, a portion of Osmeña Boulevard will be closed to vehicular traffic, specifically from Capitol down to Cebu Doctors Hospital, as well as from the corner of Don Gil Garcia to Kamuning streets.

Cebu City administrator Francisco "Bimbo" Fernandez said the activity is comprised of 10 percent speech and 90 percent eating and merrymaking.

The location of the lone stage infront of the Capitol where speeches will be delivered will remind us of that "momentous event when PGMA took her oath of office here last year," Fernandez said.

In a related development, the Muslim communities of the Visayas said they believe in the constitutional resolution of the present crisis in the country.

This was declared yesterday by Ustadz Haron Magadapa, president of the Imams League of the Visayas who personally handed over its written declaration of support to Arroyo before Guanzon at the Malacañang sa Sugbo. The league also believed that extra judicial resolution will greatly affect the economy of the nation and will traumatize the citizenry.

"We must show our political maturity by abiding with the Constitution and the justice system we have," Magadapa said.

The Muslim communities believe that emotion can take the people farther away from what the country and nation need and urged Arroyo to face the challenges with clean heart for the good of the nation.

"We believe that it is the work of the legislative assembly and the judiciary to persecute and declare whether the President had committed an impeachable offense or not, whatever the judgment it may come out, it is our duty as a citizenry to respect it and believe in it," the declaration stated. - with Norvie S. Misa